VOLATILE ESTERS AND SULFUR COMPOUNDS IN DURIANS & A SUGGESTED APPROACH TO ENHANCING ECONOMIC VALUE OF DURIANS

Durio zibethinus, more commonly known as Durian or the ‘king of fruits’ by locals is a Southeast Asian tropical fruit. Smell is a crucial factor in durian acceptance amongst consumers as many are unable to accept the pungent onion-like odour liberated by durians. Due to the controversial aroma of durians, chemical compounds reportedly contributing to the durian smell- volatile esters and sulfur compounds have been widely discussed in the literature. This review article seeks to consolidate the literature which have identified volatile esters and sulfur-containing compounds in durians from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, and studies shedding light on how the economic value of durians can be enhanced. Literature review was conducted using databases Scopus and ScienceDirect and a total of 18 articles were reviewed. In light of the rising demand for durians, factors, namely aroma, flavour and colour, in which consumers consider in the purchase of durians are further looked at, to explore the potential of enhancing favourable traits of durians and increasing its economic value and sales in the global market. By knowing the chemical compounds involved or influencing each factor, further studies can be conducted to explore methods such as breeding of new durian cultivars and metabolic or gene modification for phenotypic manifestation of favourable traits attractive to consumers.