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Review
. 2025 Dec;20(1):2527958.
doi: 10.1080/15592324.2025.2527958. Epub 2025 Jul 12.

The Science behind vegetable aromas: types, synthesis, and influencing factors of volatile compounds

Chenxi Ji  1   2 , Chenxu Liu  2   3 , Rongqing Wang  2   3 , Meiying Ruan  2   3 , Zhuping Yao  2   3 , Hongjian Wan  2   3 , Zhimiao Li  2 , Yuan Cheng  2   3   4 , Qingjing Ye  2   3
Affiliations
Review

The Science behind vegetable aromas: types, synthesis, and influencing factors of volatile compounds

Chenxi Ji et al. Plant Signal Behav. 2025 Dec.

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are key determinants of the aroma characteristics in vegetable crops. They not only directly affect consumer sensory experiences but also play important roles in plant - environment interactions. With the continuous advancement of analytical technologies, the composition, biosynthetic pathways, and regulatory mechanisms of VOCs in vegetables have become research hotspots in recent years. This review systematically summarizes the major types of VOCs (aldehydes, esters, terpenes, and sulfur-containing compounds) in vegetable crops and the types of aromas they present. It further explores their biosynthetic pathways, such as those with fatty acids, amino acids, and carotenoids as precursors, as well as the synthesis pathways of terpenoids and phenylpropanoids. In addition, this review covers commonly used enrichment and analytical techniques, including HS-SPME, GC-MS, GC×GC-TOF-MS, as well as the various factors that influence VOC composition - such as genotype, developmental stage, environmental conditions, and postharvest handling. This work provides theoretical support and research directions for the breeding and industrial application of vegetable varieties with improved flavor quality. Future studies should further investigate the functions of VOCs, their regulatory networks, and their roles in plant ecological adaptation.

Keywords: Vegetable crops; aroma characteristics; biosynthesis; influencing factors; volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no compets of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Biosynthesis pathway with fatty acids as precursors.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Biosynthesis pathways with amino acids as precursors., (a) branch chain amino acid metabolic pathway;(b) sulfur-containing amino acid metabolic pathway.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Biosynthesis pathway of terpenoids.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Biosynthetic pathway of phenylpropanoids.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Biosynthesis pathway with carotenoids as precursors.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Schematic diagram of influencing factors of vegetable crop flavor.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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