Abstract Volatile compounds were isolated from fresh papaya fruit by simultaneous steam distillationâsolvent extraction according to LikensâNickerson. Compounds were identiï¬ed by capillary GCâMS and sensorially characterized by snifï¬ng GC. One hundred and sixtyâsix compounds were identiï¬ed in the aroma concentrate, of which 77 were identiï¬ed for the ï¬rst time as papaya volatiles. Among the identiï¬ed compounds, methyl butanoate, ethyl butanoate, 3âmethylâ1âbutanol and 1âbutanol were found to be the major components. The esters of lower fatty acids were considered to contribute much to the typical papaya ï¬avour. Copyright Â© 2003 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.