The effect of controlled atmosphere storage on aroma components of Hami melon

In order to analyze the affect of controlled atmosphere (CA )storage to Sinkiang “Golden Phoenix” Hami melon, combining solid phase micro-extraction(SPME) with GC-MS method was used to analyze the aromatic components of melons which were stored under the condition of (6±0.5)°C, O₂ 4%~6%, CO₂ 0.2% ~ 0.5%. The aromatic components of melons which were stored at normal conditions were also analyzed by the same method as control. The result showed that “Golden Phoenix” melon stored by CA storage has more aromatic components and quantity-more than 30 volatile compounds include esters, a few aldehydes, alcohols and aromatic compounds were detected. In conclusion, esters are the main aromatic components of “Golden Phoenix” melon, and CA storage was more efficient to maintain the aromatic components than normal storage.