Analysis of Flavor Compounds in Aronia Berries over Ripening

Abstract

<p>Chokeberries, or more commonly, aronia berries (Aronia melanocarpa Viking cultivar), are an up and coming fruit with high antioxidant content and a very dark color. They are grown all over the world, including Iowa. Because of their high amount of antioxidants, they have been touted as a “superfruit” and have begun popping up on store shelves. Identifying and quantifying their flavor compounds throughout ripening can help us understand what kinds of flavors exist in aronia berries and how they change over maturation. This can also help us determine optimal harvest time. Studies have identified volatile compounds in aronia berries before, but this study hopes to look at how these compounds change over ripening. Berries harvested over the month of August 2014 were juiced and analyzed on a gas chromatograph. Trends of various flavor compounds were analyzed with one-way ANOVA to find differences over time. Sugar and acid content were gathered from another study and compared along the flavor compound changes. Preliminary results show that there are some compounds that stay consistent throughout ripening, but others that become more prevalent. Further analysis will be done to identify these compounds. This will help farmers understand when to harvest the berries and what kind of flavor compounds exist in aronia berries at harvest.</p>