AbstractThe volatile constituents of babaco fruit (Carica pentagonaHeilborn) were investigated. Two different methods of isolation of the volatiles were employed: (a) reduced pressure steam distillation followed by dichloromethane extraction: (b) direct extraction of filtered babaco pulp with diethyl ether. HPLC fractionation of the extracts was carried out. The extracts were analysed by dual capillary gas chromatography and combined capillary GC‐MS. The identified volatiles included 9 hydrocarbons, 20 alcohols, 9 carbonyls, 9 acids, 60 esters, 3 lactones, 2 sulphur and 7 miscellaneous components. Quantitative analysis of the major components (butan‐1‐ol and hexan‐1‐ol) showed similar results for the two isolation methods. Combined GC‐sensory analysis was carried out: of the 21 main odours detected, 18 were tentatively assessed by linear retention index comparison with authentic chemical standards. The aroma of babaco appears to be due to the collective effect of a number of