Background:

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a tropical fruit of significant economic, nutritional, and cultural importance. Its characteristic aroma results from a complex mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that vary by cultivar and developmental stage.

Questions and/or Hypotheses:

Does the composition of VOCs vary depending on the variety of mango in flowers and green and ripe fruit? A comparative chemical analysis of the VOCs emitted by flowers and fruits of 53 mango varieties grown in southeastern Mexico is proposed.

Data description:

We performed a chemical analysis of VOCs emitted by flowers and ripe and unripe fruits from 53 mango cultivars grown.

Study site and dates:

Samples were obtained from the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), specifically from the experimental station La Norteña, located in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico.

Methods:

Volatiles were extracted using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and identified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).

Results:

Fifteen monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were identified, with α-pinene, β-pinene, myrcene, 3-carene, limonene, α-copaene, and α-gurjunene being the most abundant compounds across all mango cultivars tested. Floral samples were dominated by light monoterpenes such as α-pinene, myrcene, and 3-carene; unripe fruits were abundant in 3-carene and β-pinene; and ripe fruits displayed higher proportions of α-pinene, 3-carene, and terpinolene.

Conclusions:

These tissue- and stage-specific patterns indicate the adaptive roles of compounds in pollination, fruit development, and seed dispersal. Our findings reveal slight chemical variations among cultivars, highlighting the significance of volatile profiling for the conservation, selection, and ecological understanding of mango diversity.

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