Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)The thermal degradation of carotenoids in cashew apple (Anacardium occidentale L) juice leads to changes in the beverage colour, and possibly in the aroma and flavour, although the latter hypothesis has not yet been properly investigated. Thus the objective of this study was to investigate the formation of odour active volatiles derived from the thermal degradation of carotenoids in a cashew apple juice model. A carotenoid extract in an acidic aqueous medium was submitted to 60 and 90 degrees C for 1 and 2 h. The non-volatile compounds were identified by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array and mass spectrometry detectors (HPLC-PDA). The volatiles were isolated by headspace-solid phase micro-extraction, separated by gas chromatography, identified by mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) and their odour significance assessed by GC-Olfactometry. Thirty-three odour active volatiles were identified in the heated system, amongst which 1,2,3,5-tetramethylbenzene, naphthalene and p-xylene. The results indicated that the volatiles formed from the thermal degradation of the carotenoids influence the aroma and flavour of thermally processed cashew apple products. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.56108114Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)