ODOR-ACTIVE COMPOUNDS OF BRAZILIAN TABASCO PEPPER CV. BRS AVAI

Capsicum frutescens is one of the most used spices in cooking, especially the varieties malagueta and tabasco, which are native to tropical regions of America. The cultivar BRS Avai was originated from recurrent phenotypic selection in the original American cultivar Tabasco Macllhenny (TM), used in the worldly famous Tabasco pepper sauce. The determination of the aroma profile of this new tabasco variety could reveal important qualitative descriptors that will help in future crosses and in the improvement of the desirable characteristics. This is the first flavor chemistry study of a C. frutescens genotype grown in Brazil. Volatiles compounds were extracted by headspace solid-phase microextraction (H-SPME) exposing the DVB/CAR/PDMS fiber to the sample for 45 minutes at 65 °C, and analyzed by gas chromatograph coupled to a quadrupole mass detector (GC-MS). Identification was aided by comparing retention indices with those reported in literature. The odor importance of the volatile compounds in the pepper was determined by six pre-selected judges using a time-intensity gas chromatography – olfactometry (GC-O) technique, under the same chromatographic conditions. The intensity of each perceived odor was rated using a 9-cm scale provided by the SCDTI software. At the same time, the sensory sensations were verbally described by the judges. In the volatile fraction of BRS Avai, esters were the predominant chemical class and major compounds were isohexyl and hexyl esters. Half of ester compounds were branched, mainly 2-methylpropanoates, and 2- and 3-methylbutanoates.Thirty-five odorants were detected by GC-O, of which 19 were present in very low amounts, below the equipment’s sensitivity detection level (low threshold and high odor strength). Sixteen compounds were considered as odor-active compounds of moderate to high odor-impact, with hexyl 2-methylbutanoate, α-pinene, hexyl butanoate and hexyl 3-methylbutanoate contributing most to the typical sweet, herbal and pepper-like aroma of this cultivar.