Characterization of volatile metabolites in temperate and tropical sweet corn cultivars under various post-harvest storage conditions

Different post-harvest storage conditions and genetic variability influence the flavor and quality of sweet corn. In this study, the changes in the soluble sugar content and volatile substances were comprehensively analyzed in three temperate and three tropical commercial sweet corn cultivars under various storage conditions. The three tropical cultivars exhibited higher contents of soluble total sugar, moisture, and soluble reducing sugar. Temperate and tropical cultivar groups could be well distinguished under all storage conditions based on the volatile substance profiles. Alkanes were important substances that contributed to the flavor of sweet corn and distinguished different sweet corn accessions and the storage conditions. Moreover, the highest peak area of ethyl acetate and ethanol was 8188.2 and 4833.4, respectively, and these two volatile substances exhibited higher content than others and similar change trend. Collectively, the volatile substances identified in this study can help in the identification and assessment of germplasms and guide future breeding strategies for sweet corn.