marketable appearance for 7 d at 2.5 and 5 °C. López Pérez (2007 ) tested squash/pumpkin flowers (species or cultivar not specified; photographs suggest they were summer squash) packaged into plastic-wrapped low-density polyethylene trays and plastic bags
For orange juice (OJ) use, although sugars and acids are essential for good taste, it is the volatiles that in fact determine the unique flavor of a cultivar ( Shaw, 1991 ). The hybrids between mandarin and sweet orange and their descendants
book of the seminar’s founding that had been archived within the Horticulture Club’s historical documents. This monograph, with the spine marked “ Division of Horticulture, 1913–1948 ,” contains hand-written seminar titles, dates, fruit for taste-testing
Two surveys were conducted to assess consumer and professional chefs' perceptions of three edible-flower species. Our objectives were to determine opinions, preferences, and uses of Viola tricolor L. `Helen Mount' (viola), Borago officinalis L. (borage), and Tropaeolum majus L. `Jewel Mix' (nasturtium). Flowers were grown using certifiable organic methods and chosen to reflect a variety of flower tastes, textures, and appearances. We quantified three attributes (taste, fragrance, and visual appeal) with a total of seven semantic, differential scales adapted from a scaling authority. The attributes were rated as: visual—“appealing”, “desirable,” and “very interested in tasting”; fragrance—“appealing” and “pleasant”; and taste—“tasty” and “desirable”. Garden Day participants were self-selected to evaluate and taste flowers from a consumer perspective. When asked to rate the three species on visual appeal and desire, no less than 76% of consumers awarded all flowers an acceptable rating. We found similar results when consumers answered questions regarding the taste of two of the three species. Results from this study support our hypothesis that customers would rate edible flower attributes highly and would be likely to purchase and serve the three species tested. Members of the Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association participated in a similar survey. At least 66% of these chefs rated the three visual attributes and two fragrance attributes of viola and nasturtium acceptable. Chefs' ratings of the fragrance of borage as “appealing” and “pleasant” were higher than those of consumers, but the ratings were still low, 21% and 25%, respectively. Unlike consumers, chefs' ratings of the taste of viola as “appealing” and “desirable” were low (29% and 36%, respectively). We found some minor differences in ratings when groups were compared, using demographic variables as a basis for segmentation, indicating a homogenous marketing strategy may be employed.
Consumer testing and descriptive analysis were conducted on six commercial varieties of organically grown edamame-type soybean. In the affective tests, 54 panelists rated pods and beans for appearance, and beans for aroma, taste, texture, aftertaste, and overall acceptability on a 9-point hedonic scale and willingness to buy on a 9-point category scale. `Sayamusume' was liked significantly better than all varieties except `Kenko' and `Sapporo Midori' for taste. `Kenko' was also rated higher than `Sapporo Midori', `Misono Green', and `Early Hakucho' for pod appearance. `Misono Green' texture was liked less than that of all other varieties except `White Lion'. In the descriptive analysis, 10 trained panelists rated the beaniness, sweetness, nuttiness, and chewiness of the same six varieties. `Kenko' rated significantly sweeter than all other varieties except `Sapporo Midori'. `White Lion' rated as significantly lower in chewiness than all other varieties. Beaniness and nuttiness could not be consistently differentiated among varieties. The data suggest that consumer liking of bean taste varies, though subtly, among the six edamame varieties tested here and that preferences may differ with gender. Results from descriptive analysis also suggest that panelists relied on texture (i.e., chewiness) and sweetness to differentiate between varieties. These results are particularly important in overall product quality management strategies as chewiness and sweetness may be influenced by production practices and harvest timing.
Abstract
Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) fruit from various locations in California were analyzed for oil and subjected to taste tests every 2 weeks throughout the fruiting season over a period of 5 years. Oil content at acceptable taste differed among cultivars, and the 8% requirement was too low to serve as a good maturity standard for many cultivars. While the date of acceptable taste of fruit grown at the same location was not significantly different from year to year, it varied significantly among and within the widespread avocado production areas. Dry weight, which was highly correlated with increasing oil content, was evaluated as a maturity index. The dry-weight analysis with a microwave oven was much easier than determining oil content. The average dry weight at 8% oil (the existing legal standard in California) was 19.4% for ‘Bacon’, 19.1% for ‘Fuerte’, 19.8% for ‘Hass’, 18.9% for ‘Pinkerton’, and 18.4% for ‘Zutano’ fruit. Dry weight at acceptable taste was 20.0% for ‘Bacon’, 21.0% for ‘Fuerte’, 22.8% for ‘Hass’, 20.0% for ‘Pinkerton’, and 20.2% for ‘Zutano’.
Sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose, or glucose/fructose in combination) were added to coarsely chopped, deodorized tomato puree, increasing the sugar level of the puree by 2% to 3%. Sugars (equal amounts of glucose and fructose) along with citric acid were also added to another puree, at two different levels, to create a range of sugar: acid ratios (4.88–19.07). This second puree was then spiked with two different levels of aroma volatiles, reported to affect tomato flavor, in order to understand the influence of the sugar: acid background on tomato aroma and taste perception. The tomato puree was presented to a trained panel and was rated for intensity of aroma and taste descriptors on a 15-cm unstructured line scale. For the puree spiked with sugars only, panelists detected differences for overall aroma, ripe aroma, overall taste, sweetness and sourness intensities (P< 0.15). Adding sweet sugars, like fructose and sucrose, resulted in decreased ratings for aroma descriptors, apparently detracting from panelists' perception of aroma. The sugar: acid ratio of the second tomato puree was found to correlate with perception of taste descriptors sweet (+), sour (–), bitter (–) (P< 0.05), and citrus (–) (P< 0.15) for most volatiles tested. Correlations were also found for the sugar: acid ratio with overall aftertaste (–) when the puree was spiked with furanol, trans-2-hexenal, geranylacetone, or acetaldehyde; fruity (+) with β-ionone and linalool; and tropical (+) with cis-3-hexenal and geranylacetone (P< 0.15). The study suggests that increasing taste factors, like sweetness, result in decreased perception of tomato aroma in general, and affect how aroma compounds influence sensory descriptors.
Some Maine tomato growers use unheated greenhouses or high tunnels to extend the short growing season. But, what varieties should growers choose? The objective of this trial was to test varieties of greenhouse and open field tomatoes to identify the best performers in high tunnels in terms of yield, quality, disease, and taste. Results showed that both open field and greenhouse varieties produced similar and acceptable yields of high quality marketable fruit. Open field varieties showed more disease than greenhouse varieties. There were some significant differences between individual varieties. Betterboy scored highest in sensory analysis, but lowest in yield/quality. Brilliante scored poorly on marketable yields, but well in terms of premium yields, quality, disease and taste. It may be well suited for direct marketing to repeat customers (e.g., farmers' markets). For commercial production Jet Star, Brilliante, Cobra, and First Lady II appear to be good choices based on overall scores.
There is a good market for heirloom tomatoes that, according to many consumers, taste better than regular tomatoes. Unfortunately, most heirloom tomatoes have little disease resistance, tend to crack, are rough in appearance, and are not uniform in size. Randy Gardner recently developed several new indeterminate hybrid tomatoes with the goal of combining the flavor of heirloom tomatoes with the disease resistance, uniform size, and good shipping characteristics of more modern varieties. Two tests, using organic and conventional practices, were conducted in Waynesville, N.C., in which three popular heirloom varieties (German Johnson, Mr. Stripey, and Cherokee Purple) and four late blight resistant hybrids (NC 0455, NC 0571, NC 0576, and NC 05114), replicated four times, were grown using a high trellis system. The highest yields were obtained with German Johnson NC 0455, and NC 0576 in the conventional trial and German Johnson NC 0455, and NC 0571 in the organic trial. Public taste test results revealed that the experimental hybrid cluster type, NC 05114, was ranked by over 82% of the participants as good or excellent. NC 0455 was rated as good or excellent by >83% of the participants, which was better than the popular heirlooms Cherokee Purple and Mr. Stripey. This study demonstrated that the heirloom-type hybrid tomatoes could be successfully grown in organic and conventional systems in Western North Carolina and that two out of the four tested had flavor ratings similar to, or better than, the three heirloom varieties tested.
An untrained panel evaluated five apple cultivars [Malus domestica Borkh. cvs. Liberty, Prima, Priscilla, and Freedom (all scab resistant) and Spur Red Delicious (Bisbee strain)] in 1988 and 1989 to determine consumer acceptability and opinion of quality. Testers evaluated fruit for five quality characteristics (texture, juiciness, aroma, tartness, and sweetness) plus overall quality in a random, blind taste test on 30 Sept. 1988. Testers consistently identified `Spur Red Delicious' (9% soluble solids content) as undesirable for all attributes. Tasters could not discern differences in juiciness among the cultivars. `Freedom' was rated excellent, `Liberty' and `Prima' very good to good, and `Priscilla' good in overall quality. In a separate blind, random preference test, `Freedom', `Liberty', and `Prima' received higher preference ratings than `Priscilla'. The taste tests were repeated using the same five cultivars on 3 Oct. 1989. `Freedom' and `Liberty' received the highest ratings for overall quality. Freedom received the highest preference ratings. Results, in general, were consistent from year to year. Since we tested only one strain of `Red Delicious', we cannot conclude from this work that resistant cultivars are preferred to any standard; however, we can conclude that resistant cultivars are acceptable to the consumer.