Comparison of the key aroma compounds in hand-squeezed and unpasteurised, commercial NFC juices prepared from Brazilian Pera Rio oranges

Application of a comparative aroma extract dilution analysis on a hand-squeezed (juice A) and an industrially squeezed, unpasteurised orange juice (juice B), revealed qualitatively almost the same set of odour-active compounds. However, while in juice A, vanillin, ethyl butanoate, wine lactone, (Z)-3-hexenal, (S)-ethyl 2-methylbutanoate and (S)-linalool were detected with the highest flavour dilution (FD) factors, in juice B prepared by means of an FMC extractor, several compounds, like (R)-limonene, (R)-α-pinene and octanal showed higher FD factors, in addition to ethyl butanoate, wine lactone and (S)-ethyl 2-methylbutanoate. Quantification of seventeen odorants in both juices by means of stable isotope dilution assays followed by a calculation of odour activity values (OAV; ratio of concentration to odour threshold) revealed a clear change in the ranking order: while (S)-ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, (R)-limonene, (Z)-3-hexenal and linalool were first in rank among the odorants of juice A, in juice B, (R)-limonene and (S)-linalool followed by (S)-ethyl 2-methylbutanoate showed the highest OAVs. Sensory experiments revealed that the much higher concentrations of the seven peel oil constituents, and the lack in (Z)-3-hexenal, are the reason for the aroma differences observed for both juices. Further experiments indicated that lowering the pressure during commercial juicing, and also the avoidance of a freezing/thawing process could be helpful in getting closer to the aroma of hand-squeezed orange juice, because peel oil constituents are lowered and, in particular, the latter procedure leads to a complete degradation of (Z)-3-hexenal.