## 3 Results and Discussion
### Analysis of Volatile Compounds  
Pesto sauce is distinguished by its intense aroma, derived from the combination of ingredients, especially herbs, olive oil, and nuts. The aroma is a crucial factor influencing the overall acceptance of pesto. Therefore, comprehending the volatile compounds in pesto sauce and evaluating how the inclusion of diverse ingredients can impact these compounds is essential. HS-SPME analysis of the pesto sauce formulations revealed an average identification of 80 molecules (details are available in Supplementary Materials Figure S2 and Table S1), with prominent compounds including esters (butanoic acid), alcohols (hex-(3Z)-enol, hex-anol), aldehydes (nonanal), monoterpens (\(\beta\)-pinene, 1,8-cineole, \(\gamma\)-terpinene), acyclic monoterpens (myrcene, allo-ocimene), and oxygenated monoterpens (linalool, camphor) (Table 6). Some of these compounds, such as \(\beta\)-pinene, 1,8-cineole, and linalool, were also found in fresh basil pesto sauce by the authors of [24]. The compounds identified in the pesto sauce formulations originate from the ingredients used in their preparation. For instance, compounds like 1,8-cineole, beta-pinene, linalool, (E)-2-hexenal, and camphor are derived from basil [25; 28]. Moreover, hexanal and nonanal are present both in basil and extra virgin olive oil. In baru almonds, the presence of hexanal has also been reported [20]. In the case of morringa, several volatile compounds previously reported in its leaves, such as hexanal, trans-2-hexenal, hexanol, and benzaldehyde [55], were also identified in the corresponding pesto formulations, indicating their likely transfer from the raw material to the final product. It is noteworthy that morringa has a low content of volatile compounds [56], which is a positive factor for the development of pesto sauce with the addition of morringa leaves, as it minimizes alterations \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Component** & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Retention Index**} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Relative Peak Area (\%)**} \\ \hline  & B/CN & B/BA & BM/CN & BM/BA & B/CN & B/BA & BM/CN & BM/BA \\ Hex-(2E)-enal & 854.0 & 854.0 & 854.0 & 855.0 & 4.4 & 3.6 & 8.8 & 8.6 \\
1,8-cineole & 1037.0 & 1036.0 & 1035.0 & 1036.0 & 21.1 & 23.7 & 22.8 & 22.8 \\ Linalool & 1104.0 & 1101.0 & 1101.0 & 1102.0 & 16.4 & 6.2 & 10.0 & 11.6 \\ Camphor & 115.7 & 1151.0 & 1151.0 & 1151.0 & 11.5 & 14.1 & 8.8 & 9.4 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* B/CN, the traditional Brazilian version featuring basil and cashew nuts; B/BA, a formulation substituting cashew nuts with baru almonds; BM/CN, replacing 50% of the basil with morringa leaves, plus cashew nuts; BM/BA, replacing 50% of the basil with morringa leaves, plus barn almonds.  
\end{table} 
Table 6: Main volatile compounds, retention index, and percentage of peak area identified in pesto sauce. in the product's aroma. In contrast, although baru almonds contain volatile compounds, particularly hexanal associated with nutty and peanut-like aromas, the low concentrations observed suggest that these compounds will not be perceptible in the formulation. In the B/CN formulation 1,8-cineole emerged as the most abundant compound, constituting 21.1% of the relative peak area (RPA), closely followed by linaloal (RPA = 16.4%) and camphor (RPA = 11.1%). The distinctive aroma of pesto sauce, primarily attributed to basil, is primarily shaped by these key volatiles [57]. Interestingly, the prevalence of 1,8-cineole remained consistent across other pesto sauce formulations as well, with RPAs of 23.7%, 22.8%, and 22.8% for B/BA, BM/CN, and BM/BA, respectively. On the other hand, there was a reduction in the content of linaloal, especially in B/BA, which shows an RPA of 6.2%. Regarding camphor, the substitution of 50% of basil by moringa leaves slightly reduced its content (RPA of 8.8% and 9.4% for BM/CN and BM/BA, respectively). These results suggest that, in general, the inclusion of moringa leaves and baru almonds did not alter the principal aromatic compounds of the pesto sauces.