Twenty-two scab-resistant apple cultivars were harvested in autumn 1999 and evaluated for sensory quality the following October, November and December. Multivariate analysis was effective in describing the comblex relationships and variabillity among the numerous attributes used to characterise apple quality. Crispness, mealiness, skin toughness, apple flavour, sweetness, unripe flavour and overripe flavour were informative attributes describing the variation in the sensory quality. Texture attributes, apple flavour and overripe flavour were affected by storage. Extended storage resulted in an increase in mealiness and overripe flavour and a decrease in crispness, juiciness and apple flavour. Many potential scab-resistant cultivars were suitable for consumption in October: 'Dayton', 'Primicia', 'Retina' and 'Realka'; in November: 'Merlijn', 'Saturn', 'Initial', 'Realka', 'Rajka' and 'Rubinola'; and in December: 'Otava', 'Ecolette', 'Rejka', 'Rubinola', 'Delorina', 'Initial' and 'Resista' and 'Topaz'. This study gives a sensory sharacterisation of scab-resistant cultivars as an indicator of suitability for commercial growing and marketing of low-input apple cultivars
