as differences in fruit characteristics. Most importantly, growers state that ‘New Mexico 6-4’ lost its “traditional flavor.” There is heightened interest in flavorful vegetables in the United States with organizations such as The Slow Food USA Ark of
randomized (some score sheets started with sample A, others on sample B or C, etc.), with which to rate the intensity of sweetness, sourness, and overall flavor on a 1 to 9 hedonic scale, where 1 was least sweet, sour, or flavorful and 9 was most sweet, sour
A majority of well-designed studies comparing nutrient density (milligrams of a given nutrient per kilogram of food) in organically and conventionally produced fruits and vegetables show modest to moderately higher concentrations of most nutrients in organic produce. Likewise, organic produce is either as flavorful as or more flavorful than conventional produce and often tends to store better. Physiological factors that may account for these differences include the levels and form of nitrogen applied to crops, the balance of macro- and micronutrients in the soil, soil quality, average cell size, glycosylation status, and concentrations of plant secondary metabolites.
Several new seedlees watermelon cultivars have recently been released or tested by seed companies. Their greatest asset is their seed-lessness. Melon quality, as determined by consumer acceptance may be a greater challenge.
A consumer preference survey was conducted to determine the acceptability of ten seedless cultivars and breeding lines. All cultivars were rated as acceptable and significant differences were found among the cultivars. Comments expressed by consumers indicated that the seedless melons were not as flavorful as seeded cultivars. No correlations were found between soluble solids and preference nor firmness and preference. Further investigation will be made as to whether the convenience and flavor are worth the greater cost of the seedless watermelon.
Consumers of organic food tend to believe that it tastes better than its conventional counterpart. However, there is a lack of scientific studies on sensory analysis of organic food. A consumer taste test was conducted to compare the acceptability of organically and conventionally grown spinach. Spinach samples were collected from organically and conventionally managed plots at the Kansas State University Research and Extension Center, Olathe. One hundred-twenty-two untrained panelists (80 female and 42 male) participated in this consumer study. Fresh and 1-week-old spinach leaves were evaluated by 60 and 62 consumers, respectively, using a 9-point hedonic scale (9 = like extremely, 5 = neither like nor dislike, 1 = dislike extremely). The ANOVA results showed that fresh organic spinach had a higher preference score than corresponding conventional spinach, although not at a significant level (P = 0.1790). For the 1-week-old spinach, the difference diminished, and instead, conventional spinach had a higher preference rating. Among 61 consumers who made comments regarding the sensory evaluation, 29 claimed that organic spinach was more tasty and flavorful; 19 consumers thought conventional spinach was better; 13 consumers could not tell the difference. Even though this consumer study did not reveal significant differences in consumer preference for organic vs. conventional spinach, further well-designed sensory tests are warranted given the trends indicated in our study. Assessment of sensory attributes of organic vegetables after storage also deserves further attention. Ideally, both consumer tests and descriptive analysis using trained panelists will be considered.
Sweet cherry breeding started at Vineland and Summerland in 1915 and 1924 and has resulted in the naming and introduction of 11 and 18 cultivars, respectively. `Victor' and `Van' were the first cultivars named from Vineland and Summerland, respectively, in 1925 and 1944. `Van' has become a popular cultivar in North America and Europe. The main objective in these breeding programs has been to develop cultivars that produce large quantities of firm-fleshed, crack-free, flavorful, large, black cherries with a range of maturity dates to extend the season of harvest. In the 1960's, the development of self-fertile cultivars was added to the objective of the programs. Already several self-fertile cultivars and advanced breeding selections have been named and introduced from Canada. The programs have also contributed to the assignment of cultivars to different pollen-incompatibility groups and verification of pedigree of sweet cherry cultivars. The impact of these long-term breeding programs in Canada and abroad will be discussed in detail.
Abstract
Sensory analysis was performed on 4 carrot (Daucus carota L.) entries (inbred lines B6274 and B3615 and open-pollinated cultivars ‘Imperator 58’ and ‘Nantes’) grown in Florida, Texas, and California. Variation from entries and locations was observed for 5 sensory attributes. Significant differences were found among entries for harsh flavor (burning, turpentine-like flavor) and among locations for overall carrot flavor. Florida-grown roots elicited low sweetness and low overall carrot flavor responses, Texas-grown carrots expressed distinct differences in harsh flavor, and California-grown carrots had less harsh flavor with more sweetness and more overall carrot flavor. Significant inter-line differences were observed for different attributes at each location. Sensory analysis over all locations indicated that B3615 was more harsh, less sweet, and less preferred than the other entries. Harsh flavor and sweetness were used as independent variables in regression analyses and were found to account for much variation in overall preference and intensity of flavor differences. Harsh flavor could not be masked by dipping B3615 roots in 30% fructose. Phloem is harsher, sweeter, more flavorful, and preferred to xylem while a comparison of crown, midsection, and tip displays a significant acropetal reduction in carrot flavor.
Light has long been known to stimulate anthocyanin accumulation in apple peel, but changes in apple flavor as a result of fruit shading is poorly understood. Some growers maintain that the redder the strain, the less flavorful the fruit. An experiment was conducted to help characterize the role of light in biosynthesis of color versus flavor molecules in apple peel. Bags fashioned from 3 meshes of shade cloth were fastened around fruitlets of red delicious strains `Starkrimson' and `Topred' on M26, MM106, and MM111 by 21 DAFB to produce average light ranges of 100%. 41-68%, 12-30%, and < 1% of full sun incident upon the fruit. Observations from the 1993 harvest indicate that anthocyanin content of peel increased with fruit maturity and level of sunlight. Concentrations of flavor molecules were higher with low and moderate shade than with full sun, and also increased with fruit maturity. From this harvest data, it appears that apple flavor can be enhanced by lightly shading fruit without substantially reducing fruit color.