Dr. Florence
Negre-Zakharov
Assistant Professor, Department of Plant
Sciences, UC Davis
Investigating fruit volatile
metabolism: toward improving crop flavor quality
Consumer
opinion of the flavor and aroma of fruits and vegetables
is greatly influenced by the presence of volatile
compounds that are produced during fruit development or
ripening. Though greatly important for determining the
quality of fresh produce, aroma is a complex trait that
is poorly understood, and therefore often overlooked in
crop improvement and postharvest programs. The
overarching goal of Florence’s research is to improve
the flavor quality of fruits. By elucidating the
biosynthetic pathways of volatile formation her
laboratory hopes to gain a better understanding of how
aroma synthesis is controlled, in order to ultimately
enhance aroma and flavor quality of fruits and
vegetables, at- and post-harvest.
December
2011