U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home News & Events News Articles Research News 2014





- ARS News & Events
- AgResearch Magazine
- Image Gallery
- News
- Search News & Events
- Insect Meal: A Grand Challenge
- The Chicken, the Egg, and Salmonella
- Cooking with Science: Strawberries
- ARS Featured Photos
- Down on the Farm
- Facebook Live Events
- Food and Nutrition Research Briefs
- News Archive
- Science in Your Shopping Cart
- Scientific Discoveries
- Social Media
- Under the Microscope
- AgResearch magazine
- ARS at Work
- ARS Memorial Lectures
- ARS Science Hall of Fame
- Citrus Disease (Huanglongbing)
- Contact Office of Communications
- Plant Hardiness Zone Map
- Mobile Apps
- Public Affairs Contacts
- Publications and Other Resources
- USDA Blog
- Videos

Archived Page
 This page has been archived and is being provided for reference purposes only. The page is no longer being updated, and therefore, links on the page may be invalid.
 Read the magazine story to find out more.Photo: Avocados. ARS and University of California-Riverside researchers are identifying key avocado compounds that contribute to ideal flavor and may serve as "markers" that breeders could use to select new avocado varieties. Photo courtesy of the California Avocado Commission.For further reading
Broader scope may enhance UV screening of navel oranges
Beneficial fungi examined for battle against destructive beetles
ARS scientists devising new ways to protect avocados Flavor Secrets of Hass Avocados Probed By Marcia Wood March 6, 2014 What makes an avocado delicious? U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant physiologist David M. Obenland and a team led by University of California-Riverside colleague Mary Lu Arpaia are collaborating in a series of studies to answer that question. Their focus is Hass avocados, the kind that's the most widely sold in the United States, and is known for its smooth, buttery texture and rich, often nutty flavor. Of course, aroma is part of what is perceived as flavor, and scientists already know that Hass avocados have at least 25 aroma compounds, known as "aroma volatiles." But for the most part, the precise contribution of each of these aroma volatiles has not been well studied. That's why Obenland and Arpaia are determining the kinds and concentrations of aroma compounds that are essential to the classic Hass avocado flavor. With further work, these key compounds might serve as "markers" that breeders could use in pinpointing the most promising new kinds of avocados. Growers and packers of the future might be able to use the markers to determine the best times to harvest the fruit, or to develop new tactics that better protect these compounds or their precursors during storage and ripening. In preliminary studies, the scientists used two well-established analytical procedures—solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry—to extract, identify and determine changes in the concentrations of individual aroma volatiles as avocados matured and ripened. In all, the scientists worked with samples from about 850 domestic and imported avocados, and analyzed more than 4,500 observations from 15 to 20 taste-testers. The studies, described in an article in *Postharvest Biology and Technology* in 2012, are apparently the first to report the levels of aroma compounds sampled during Hass avocado maturation and ripening, according to Obenland. He works at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Parlier, Calif. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency. Among other findings, the scientists confirmed that three chemicals prevalent in the early growth of the fruit (hexanal; (E)-2-hexenal; and 2,4-hexadienal) were probably responsible for a grassy flavor, and that the "likeability" of the fruit, from the taste testers' point of view, increased as the levels of these compounds decreased in the maturing fruit. The work differs from most prior avocado flavor studies, which primarily focused on the flavor contribution of the fruit's natural oil. ARS, the University of California-Riverside, the California Avocado Commission, and the Pinkerton Avocado Growers Association funded the research, which was conducted with the help of Mission Produce, Inc., and Del Rey Avocado Company. Read more about this work in the March 2014 issue of *Agricultural Research* magazine.


Return to top


Research
                            Media
                            About ARS
                            Work With Us


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov