Dynamic profiling of volatile organic compounds in IR64 rice infested with Sitophilus oryzae (Linnaeus): An exploratory HS-SPME-GC-MS study for initial biomarker screening
This study examines the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as potential indicators of the presence of rice weevils, Sitophilus oryzae (Linnaeus), in IR64 rice grains. Conventional detection methods have limitations because pest infestation is detected after signs of pest damage have appeared. Meanwhile, identification of VOCs resulting from host-pest interactions can be used as chemical indicators in the early detection of infestation. This experiment used a sample unit of 10 g of rice in a vial infested with 10 adults S. oryzae, observed over five weekly intervals. VOCs from the sample headspace were extracted using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and then analyzed using gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed a shift in VOC composition, with the peak-area abundance of aldehyde compounds originating from plants decreasing while hydrocarbon compounds originating from insects became dominant. Aldehyde compounds, for example hexanal, decreased from 3.76 × 10⁸ in the control to 1.12 × 10⁸ in the fourth week, while hydrocarbon compounds, such as 3,6-dimethylundecane, increased from 5.67 × 10⁷ to 2.82 × 10⁸. The volatile compounds that most affected changes in the VOC profile include hydrocarbon compounds with high VIP scores and positive log2FC, such as 3,6-dimethylundecane (1.68 and 2.31) and pentadecane (1.40 and 1.97), while aldehyde compounds with high VIP scores and negative log2FC values include dodecanal (1.60 and -1.60) and hexanal (1.49 and -1.79). These aldehyde and hydrocarbon compounds with high VIP > 1 and log2FC are thought to have the strongest contribution to changes in the VOC profile due to S. oryzae infestation and may be preliminary information for developing an early detection model in rice storage. However, further verification is needed, including experimental replication across several rice varieties and storage conditions.
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