An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

This chapter discusses the composition and diversity of volatiles from some plants that are used by humans for dietary and medicinal purposes, but this analysis is not limited to the parts of the plants consumed by people. The vegetative volatiles directly deter or are toxic to herbivores and microorganisms. Indirectly, plant volatiles can protect the emitting plant by attracting natural enemies of herbivores via tritrophic interactions. Plant volatiles are specialized metabolites, synthesized in the cytoplasm and plastids of plant cells. Plant volatiles also mediate intra and interplant signaling processes inducing the emission of other volatiles and the expression of defense genes in neighboring plants. The volatiles compositions from leaves of young and old shoots of the plant were significantly different. The fruits of this dioecious plant are olive-like black berries. The composition of the volatiles from bay fruits is different from leaves somewhat but mostly quantitatively.

Carrot is considered one of the leading horticultural crops in the world in terms of its nutritional value, health benefits, and unique flavor based on its high content of carotenoids and volatile aroma compounds. Terpenes such as monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes represent some of the predominant volatile compounds that contribute to carrot aroma and flavor. Variation of terpene composition based on genotypic differences or environmental factors has significant effects on taste perception by consumers and, therefore, is a critical quality attribute for carrot breeders and growers. Surprisingly, little is known about the biosynthesis of volatile terpenes in carrots and the various enzymes involved in their formation. In this chapter, we provide an overview of volatile terpene sampling and terpene diversity in different D. carota genotypes. Facilitated by the recent elucidation of the carrot genome, we further describe and discuss latest findings of the function of genes and enzymes in the terpene synthase family involved in the biosynthesis of carrot terpene volatiles.