Shepard avocado maturity consumer sensory research

Dry matter content (DM) of avocados represents the amount of carbohydrates and nutrients that have been transported from the tree into the fruit. The longer the avocado remains on the tree, the higher the dry matter, and consequently, %DM is used by growers to decide when avocados are ready to harvest. In the current study, 112 consumers tasted ‘Shepard’, a variety of avocado that can be harvested early in the season. The avocados were collected from a range of locations in Northern Queensland in order to ensure that fruit of varying maturity (%DM) were available for tasting at the same time. Consumers’ liking of flavour increased progressively as the DM content of avocados increased from 18% to 23% but then reached a plateau, where further increases in DM did not result in corresponding increases in liking. The immature (lower DM) avocados were frequently described as having ‘bland/tasteless’ or ‘watery’ flavour as well as being less liked than other avocados. Following tasting, consumers were asked about their experience with avocados and the extent that a quality guarantee offering to refund or replace damaged fruit might increase purchasing. Consumers continued to report a high incidence and severity of damage in the avocados they purchased for consumption at home. The study indicated that consumers’ willingness to buy avocados increased as a consequence of the quality guarantee

Mealiness detection in apples using time resolved reflectance spectroscopy

Mealiness is a textural attribute related to internal fruit disorder that is characterized by the combination of abnormal softness of the fruit and absence of free juiciness in the mouth when eaten by the consumer. Time-resolved laser reflectance spectroscopy was used as a tool to determine mealiness. This new technique in agrofood research may provide physical and chemical information independently and simultaneously, which is relevant to characterize mealiness. Using visible and near infrared lasers as light sources, time-resolved laser reflectance spectroscopy was applied to Golden Delicious and Cox apples (n = 90), to characterize batches of untreated samples and samples that were stored under conditions that promote the development of mealiness (20C & 95% RH). The collected database was clustered into different groups according to their instrumental test values. The optical coefficients were used as explanatory variables to build discriminant functions for mealiness. The performance of the classification models created ranged from 47 to 100% of correctly identified mealy versus nonmealy apples

The impact of dry matter, ripeness and internal defects on consumer perceptions of avocado quality and intentions to purchase.

Insights into the relative importance of various aspects of product quality can be provided through quantitative analysis of consumer preference and choice of fruit. In this study, methods previously used to establish taste preferences for kiwifruit (Harker et al., 2008) and conjoint approaches were used to determine the influence of three key aspects of avocado quality on consumer liking and willingness to purchase fruit: dry matter percentage (DM), level of ripeness (firmness) and internal defects (bruising). One hundred and seven consumers tasted avocados with a range of DM levels from ~20% (minimally mature) to nearly 40% (very mature), and at a range of fruit firmness (ripeness) stages (firm-ripe to soft-ripe). Responses to bruising, a common quality defect in fruit obtained from the retail shelf, were examined using a conjoint approach in which consumers were presented with photographs showing fruit affected by damage of varying severity. In terms of DM, consumers showed a progressive increase in liking and intent to buy avocados as the DM increased. In terms of ripeness, liking and purchase intent was higher in avocados that had softened to a firmness of 6.5 N or below (hand-rating 5). For internal defects, conjoint analysis revealed that price, level of bruising and incidence of bruising all significantly lowered consumers' future purchase decision, but the latter two factors had a greater impact than price. These results indicate the usefulness of the methodology, and also provide realistic targets for Hass avocado quality on the retail shelf