Volatile profiles of ripening West Indian and Guatemalan-West Indian avocado cultivars as affected by aqueous 1-methylcyclopropene

► The volatile profile of avocados changed during ripening and among cultivars. ► 1-MCP treatments delayed ripening and increased emissions of alkanes during ripening of 'Booth 7' and 'Monroe'. ► Several compounds were detected in only one cultivar and could be useful for classification purposes. ► Sesquiterpenes were the main group of volatiles in all cultivars, with β-caryophyllene as the major compound, but were fairly detected in ripe fruit. ► Results suggest that ethylene participates in the regulation of the sesquiterpene α-copaene.