Abstract: Volatile compounds in four different stages of loquat flowers（the bud stage，the bud
swelling and come out white petals，the petals beginning spread and the petals opened）were extracted by
Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction（SPME），seperated and analysed by GC–MS. As a result，84，
90，69 and 73 kinds of volatile compounds were identified from the four different stages of loquat flowers，
respectively，and accounted for 93.84%，97.74%，92.56% and 92.67% of the total volatile compounds.
Ketones，acids，esters，aldehydes，alkanes，alcohols and a few other compounds existed in the volatile
compounds. From the bud stages to the petals opened of loquat flowers，the content of the esters and acids
showed gradually increase，the content of aldehydes revealed a rapid decrease，and the content of akanes
and ketones exhibited an initial increase and a final decrease. In all volatile compounds of loquat flowers，
the main aromatic components were 4-methoxy-benzoic acid methyl ester，4-methoxy-benzoic acid ethyl
ester，oxalic acid di（2-phenylethyl）ester，benzaldehyde，4-methoxy-benzaldehyde，（E）-2-hexenal，
phenylethyl alcohol，tridecane，heneicosane，etc. These aromatic components accounted for 55.03%，59%，
72.68% and 70.71% of four different stages of loquat flowers，respectively. In conclusion，there were good aromatic components in loquat flowers from the bud swelling and come out white petals to the petals
beginning spread.

Key words: loquat；flowers；flower stages；aromatic components；solid phase microextraction
（SPME）；gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy（GC&ndash, MS）