Comprehensive analysis of volatile flavor components in pear fruit spanning the entire development stages

The intricate pattern of flavor changes throughout the various stages of fruit development remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the material dynamics underlying flavor formation, focusing on volatile and metabolite production across 8 fruit developmental and ripening stages of 'Yuluxiang' pear. A total of 154 volatile compounds were characterized by HS-GC-IMS combined with HS-SPME-GC-MS technology, mainly including aldehydes, ketones, and ester compounds in the young fruit and enlarging periods, and the ester compounds increase in the mature period. Notably, the expression of alcohol acetyltransferase gene in the fatty acid metabolism pathway significantly increased with ripening, thereby facilitating ester synthesis. Hexyl acetate was identified as a crucial marker for pear ripeness. Our findings provide a robust theoretical basis for regulating the synthesis and accumulation of these vital flavor compounds during the later stages of fruit development.