AROMA VARIATION IN WILD AND CULTIVATED Vanilla planifolia Jacks. ex Andrews

Abstract

The primary gene pool of Vanilla planifolia is located in Mexico, suggesting the existence of aromatic variation. Different varieties and wild relatives of V. planifolia were evaluated, to determine the variation of the four phytochemicals that define the quality of the aroma in cured fruits from the region of Totonacapan Puebla-Veracruz and Oaxaca, Mexico. Phenolic compounds were quantified: vanillin, vanillic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, p-hydroxybenzoic, through high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Twenty-five harvests from varieties in Puebla-Veracruz were compared, in contrast with six sites of wild populations in Oaxaca. The aromatic variation in varieties is determined by six groups that correspond to five genotypic groups, which have decreased the concentration of the three minor compounds (MC): p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, in relation to the vanillin content. The aromatic variation in wild populations is defined by four groups, where the aroma responds to the existence of a higher concentration of minor compounds compared to vanillin.