Evaluation of Maturity of Peach by Electronic Nose

In this study, electronic nose technology combined with quality and physiological indexes was used to evaluate three levels of maturity of ‘Jinxiuhuangtao’ peach. The results showed that color turning peaches could be distinguished from mature and ripe peaches using the score plot of principal component analysis (PCA) by the electronic nose measurement. However, mature and ripe peaches were not well distinguished from each other because of existence of overlapping. The predicted results were compared with the results of the traditional chemical and physical test methods (firmness, total soluble solids, titration acid volatile and aromatic constituents) and physiological indexes (ethylene release rate). The comparisons showed that PCA analysis was more accurate than discriminant factor analysis (DFA). Electronic nose technology could provide a basic tool for distinguishing different levels of maturity of peaches.