Flower scent component changes during the flowering process in Symplocos sumuntia.

In order to provide a scientific basis for the utilization of floral aroma and the exploration of insect pollination, volatile compounds from the flowers of Symplocos sumuntia at the bud stage, middle opening stage, and full opening stage were analyzed by Headspace Solid Phase Micro-extraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that 35, 39, and 42 kinds of volatile compounds were identified from the flowers at the bud, middle opening, and full opening stages, respectively. These volatile compounds mainly belonged to alcohols, ketones, esters, aldehydes, aromatics, and acids with the major categories being alcohols and aldehydes. The relative content of linalool (20.2%), trans-linalool oxide (12.7%), and 2H-pyran-3-ol, 6-ethenyltetrahydro-2,2,6-trimethyl (19.5%) were higher at the bud stage. β-ionone (33.4%), eucalyptol (11.9%), and 3,4,5-trimethoxy toluene (15.3%) showed the highest released relative content at the middle opening stage. At the full opening stage, β-ionone (19.1%), eucalyptol (18.2%), and 2H-pyran-3-ol, 6-ethenyltetrahydro-2,2,6-trimethyl (13.19%) were the dominate components. Therefore, the main aromatic components from the flowers of S. sumuntia were β-ionone, eucalyptol, 2H-pyran-3-ol, 6-ethenyltetrahydro-2,2,6-trimethyl-, trans-linalool oxide, linalool, and 3,4,5-trimethoxy toluene. Also, for the scent of flowers, at the middle opening stage β-ionone made the dominate contribution; whereas, at the full opening stage various compounds dominated. [Ch, 3 fig. 1 tab. 39 ref.]