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Consumer Attitudes and Preferences for Fresh Market Tomatoes
Journal of Food Science
Abstract
Unlabelled:
This study established attractive attributes and consumer desires for fresh tomatoes. Three focus groups (n = 28 participants) were conducted to explore how consumers perceived tomatoes, including how they purchased and consumed them. Subsequently, an Adaptive Choice Based Conjoint (ACBC) survey was conducted to understand consumer preferences toward traditional tomatoes. The ACBC survey with Kano questions (n = 1037 consumers in Raleigh, NC) explored the importance of color, firmness, size, skin, texture, interior, seed presence, flavor, and health benefits. The most important tomato attribute was color, then juice when sliced, followed by size, followed by seed presence, which was at parity with firmness. An attractive tomato was red, firm, medium/small sized, crisp, meaty, juicy, flavorful, and with few seeds. Deviations from these features resulted in a tomato that was rejected by consumers. Segmentations of consumers were determined by patterns in utility scores. External attributes were the main drivers of tomato liking, but different groups of tomato consumers exist with distinct preferences for juiciness, firmness, flavor, and health benefits.
Practical application:
Conjoint analysis is a research technique that collects a large amount of data from consumers in a format designed to be reflective of a real life market setting and can be combined with qualitative insight from focus groups to gain information on consumer consumption and purchase behaviors. This study established that the most important fresh tomato attributes were color, amount of juice when sliced, and size. Distinct consumer clusters were differentiated by preference for color/appearance, juiciness and firm texture. Tomato growers can utilize the results to target attributes that drive consumer choice for fresh tomatoes.
... For instance, consumer sensory expectations for salad and cherry tomato types present important differences (Casals et al., 2018;Hobson and Bedford, 1989). Previous reports have described the existence of different tomato consumer segments, either using sensory analysis combining the results of consumer and trained panels (Berna et al., 2005;Causse et al., 2010;Pagliarini et al., 2001;Rocha et al., 2013;Sinesio et al., 2010), or online simulated choice-experiments (Jürkenbeck et al., 2020;Jürkenbeck and Meyerding, 2019;Oltman et al., 2014). These reports focused on specific varietal types (fresh-market or cherry), regions, or in dissecting the effect of label quality signals on consumers' responses. ...
... Although most of the previous preference-mapping experiments investigated separately cherry and salad fresh-market tomatoes, altogether our survey yielded similar results. For the salad group, previous works reported that consumers can be segmented into three or four main sensoclusters (Berna et al., 2005;Causse et al., 2010;Oltman et al., 2014;Serrano-Megías and López-Nicolás, 2005;Sinesio et al., 2010), while cherry consumers into two or three sensoclusters (Pagliarini et al., 2001;Rocha et al., 2013). Similarly, Jürkenbeck et al. (2020) also reported the existence of six different tomato consumer groups using a choice experiment that included also labeling and other characteristics of the product. ...
... Mealiness is positively enriched in SC3, which represents round-supermarket-tomato consumers, and negatively in SC4, which represents beefsteak tomato consumers, pointing out that in these tomato segments this attribute is more present than others, and for this reason consumers maybe emphasize it. Mealiness is related to the texture of the pericarp (Chaib et al., 2007;Verkerke et al., 1998), and has been described as a character that negatively affects consumer overall liking (Oltman et al., 2014), especially in beefsteak tomatoes (Sinesio et al., 2021). However, it seems that some consumers (SC3) are used to this sensory attribute, and do not judge it negatively. ...
Tomato consumer liking results from the interaction between the fruit's characteristics and human senses, shaped by diversity among consumers regarding physiology, culture and past consumption experiences. Rather than a unique preference, consumers can be segmented into different sensory clusters (sensoclusters). This study investigates European consumer preferences for general-supermarket tomatoes and compares them with preferences for renowned landraces in local markets. Based on the results of two focus groups, online surveys were designed to collect consumer preferences related to fruit external and internal appearance, ripening stage, odor, flavor and texture attributes. Preferences obtained from 2333 consumers revealed the existence of different sensoclusters. For the General Survey five sensoclusters were identified, and according to the sensory attributes enriched in each the profiles "tasty tomato" (22.9% of the surveyed population), "cherry-sweet tomato" (11.3%), "light-flavor tomato" (21.6%), "beefsteak-tomato" (31.2%), and "unripen tomato" (12.0%) were described. The most discriminant sensory attributes were the ripening stage, taste intensity, sweetness, typical tomato odor, hollowness, juiciness, and skin perception. General consumer preferences were also identified, such as the preference for fruits with calyx (75.4%), uniform green shoulder (73.1%), and medium sweetness (64.9%). For Bulgarian Oxheart and Valenciano landraces we identified three and two sensoclusters, respectively, indicating the need to diversify breeding efforts to meet consumers' expectations. By contrast, Montserrat landrace consumers are mostly included in a single sensocluster. Sensoclusters presented in this work can be translated in sensory ideotypes for plant breeding programs, with the aim of targeting specific consumer segments.
... These unique varieties are the result of various mutants linked to pigment biosynthesis and can be produced through breeding techniques to yield novel varieties (Shin et al., 2019). Indeed, most studies focused on consumer attitudes toward tomatoes have found that colour is usually considered the most important attribute for consumers as well as the first signal of tomato quality (Jürkenbeck et al., 2019;Oltman et al., 2014Oltman et al., , 2016Rocha et al., 2013). For example, a study that segmented consumers based on their tomato preferences found that colour was the most important feature in tomato purchasing, but innovative green and yellow tomatoes were rejected by all consumer clusters (Jürkenbeck et al., 2019). ...
... The CA showed which attributes related to agricultural innovation were most preferred by consumers among those selected, and the hierarchical cluster analysis enabled the delineation of three groups of consumers differing in sociodemographic characteristics, production method preferences, and food choice motivations. The literature on tomato consumer preferences is rich (e.g., Baldi et al., 2021;Jürkenbeck et al., 2019;Oltman et al., 2014Oltman et al., , 2016, but no other specific study has delved into consumers' perceptions of tomato agricultural innovation while examining quality cues related to sustainability and healthiness, such as "IPMplus" and "Nickel-free," and simultaneously combining them with price and a novel colour. The findings help to identify the desired traits and the variations in these preferences between the North and the South of Italy, enabling the first two research questions to be answered. ...
... Regardless, another study found that positive environmental trends and adherence to a healthy lifestyle index among individuals have a positive and significant impact on awareness about pesticide-free fruits and vegetables (Haghjou et al., 2020). The attention of this sample to health and sustainability aspects is even more evident when pointing out that the presence of the "Nickel-free" claim appeared to be even more important than the colour, a feature that is usually of great importance for tomatoes (Jürkenbeck et al., 2019;Oltman et al., 2014Oltman et al., , 2016. Another study that analysed aversion to pesticide residues in relation to the degree of food processing showed that intolerance is higher for unprocessed or minimally processed products (such as fresh tomatoes) than for highly processed food products (Nitzko et al., 2022). ...
The growing emphasis on sustainability and health concerns has underscored the necessity for low-pesticide and safe foods, leading to increased adoption of organic production process and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). From this concept emerged the “Zero Residue" certification, while the “Nickel-free" claim serves health-related purposes. These attributes are related to consumer beliefs and, along with intrinsic quality cues such as colour, intervene in consumer decision-making process and result from technological and varietal agricultural innovation. They were evaluated alongside price to examine consumer preferences, using tomatoes as a case study. Conjoint Analysis and Ward's clustering method helped segregate Italian consumers into homogenous market segments based on their stated preferences. Organic production was the most significant attribute, followed by price, the “Nickel-free” claim, and colour. Thus, consumer demand increasingly favours environmentally sustainable and health-focused attributes. The “Zero Residue" concept offers an approach to reduce synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, appealing to environmental conscious consumers. Attributes like “Nickel-free" claim have emerged, which is important for consumers seeking innovative health features. Businesses should diversify products and employ clear labelling to inform consumers about eco-friendly practices. They should also offer competitive prices for innovative tomato products, thus implementing price segmentation may be necessary for diverse consumer segments. Policymakers can engage consumers through educational campaigns, enforce product labelling regulations highlighting health and environmental benefits, and support certification programs.
... We observed no significant differences in total phenolic content or antioxidant capacity between the aquaponic and soil-grown tomatoes (Table 3). These findings align with those of Braglia et al. (2022) and can be assuring to health-conscious consumers, as both phenolics and antioxidants are among the popular health benefits of tomatoes (Luthria et al., 2006;Oltman et al., 2014). Suhl et al. (2016) observed that lycopene content in aquaponic tomatoes increased as systematic phosphorus and sulfur levels increased, thus emphasizing the importance of maintaining adequate mineral content of the aquaponic system. ...
... We next compared tomato quality attributes that are directly observed by and important to consumers, such as size, color, texture, and flavor (Oltman et al., 2014). ...
... Given that potassium deficiencies are related to iron deficiencies (Xu & Shi, 2006) and the addition of chelated iron improved tomato growth in year 2, we hypothesize that nutrient deficiencies were responsible for the observed hollowing and whitening. Because consumers prefer redder tomatoes and perceive them as being riper (Oltman et al., 2014(Oltman et al., , 2016, elucidating the nutrient-color relationship is important to support consumer acceptance of aquaponics and other CEA systems. ...
Resource‐efficient food production practices are needed to support a sustainable food system. Aquaponics, a system where fish and produce are grown symbiotically in the same water circulating system, minimizes water usage, fertilizer input, and waste production. However, the impact of aquaponics on produce quality is underexplored. We utilize objective testing, descriptive analysis, and consumer acceptance to characterize the impact of aquaponics on tomato quality. Two tomato varieties were grown in an aquaponics system and compared with soil‐grown controls across 3 years. Safety was assessed by analyzing coliforms and confirming the absence of Escherichia coli. Weight, texture, color, moisture, titratable acidity, brix, and phenolic and antioxidant measurements were assessed. A semitrained descriptive sensory panel assessed 13 tomato attributes and acceptance was determined using untrained participants. Aquaponic tomatoes were frequently lighter and yellower in color and lower in brix. Descriptive analysis indicated significant differences in several sensory attributes, though these findings were inconsistent between years and varieties. Nutrient deficiencies may explain quality differences, as iron supplementation improved outcomes. Notably, the objective and descriptive differences minimally impacted consumer acceptance, as we found no significant differences in taste, texture, or appearance liking between production method in either variety. Despite variation in produce quality across years, aquaponics tomatoes pose minimal E. coli risk and are liked as much as soil‐grown tomatoes. These findings demonstrate that aquaponics can produce products that are as acceptable as their soil‐grown counterparts.
Practical Application
Aquaponic tomatoes are as safe as soil‐grown tomatoes. Furthermore, aquaponics tomatoes are liked as much as soil‐grown tomatoes. Careful monitoring of nutrients in an aquaponic system may optimize quality. Overall, aquaponics has a minimal impact on tomato quality and thus is a sustainable food production method that can compete with conventional products on quality.
... In another consumer research study with cherry tomatoes, preference mapping was dominated by consumer groups who like red tomatoes and their sweetness (Pagliarini et al., 2001). The other findings reveal that color is an essential indicator of tomato quality for consumers (Oltman, Jervis, & Drake, 2014;Adegbola et al., 2019). Specifically, red is the familiar color consumers desire to buy and do not want to take risks by buying tomatoes other than red. ...
... Several studies mention that texture and taste attributes are also important aspects of consumer perceptions of fresh tomatoes and purchasing decisions (Serrano-Megías & López-Nicolás, 2006;Usse et al., 2010;Oltman et al., 2014). In addition, the visual appearance of tomatoes is also considered very important for consumer purchasing decisions. ...
... The analysis is used to model consumer preferences based on consumer perceptions of various product attributes, beginning with determining the attributes and attribute levels (Firdaus, 2011). Attributes are selected based on attributes that have positive values from the results of Fishbein's Multi-attribute analysis and supporting studies, including freshness (Hardyastuti & Perwitasari, 2021), color (Oltman et al., 2014;Adegbola et al., 2019), texture (Usse et al., 2010), fruit surface appearance (Lombart et al., 2019), and taste (Oltman et al., 2014). ...
Increasing tomatoes consumption which is driven by needs and desires, changes consumers’ tastes and preferences. This study aimed to determine consumers’ attitudes and preferences towards tomato’s attributes. A convenience sampling which consisted of 150 respondents in the Special Region of Yogyakarta was selected for this research. Fishbein’s Multi-attribute was used to analyze consumers’ attitude, and a conjoint analysis was employed to identify consumers’ preferences. According to the findings of this study, consumers have a favorable attitude toward tomato attributes such as freshness, color, firm texture, surface appearance, and taste. Meanwhile, the findings of the conjoint analysis revealed that the color of the tomatoes was the most favored characteristic. The most preferred combination of tomato characteristics was red color, highly fresh, firm texture, spot-free surface look, and sweetness.
... Cherry-or mini-tomatoes have been stood out among tomato types that have been showing high demand for fresh consumption (Guilherme et al., 2014), mainly those from special hybrids, such as the sweet-grape tomato. The main characteristics of sweet-grape tomatoes is low acidity index, high contents of sugar and soluble solids (Junqueira et al., 2011), small size, elongated shape, and intense red color, which ensure a good acceptability by consumers (Oltman et al., 2014) and results in a high consumption, making the crop economically viable (Sandri et al., 2015). Fruits from this hybrid represents up to 10% of the total horticulture sales, despite being 20% to 40% more expensive than those from common tomato types (Junqueira et al., 2011). ...
... The fruit firmness was affected only by the N rates where 50% of N rate was better than 100 and 125% (Table 4). Total soluble solid contents, fruit specific volume, fruit density and firmness are importance aspects related to resistance of fruits to post-harvest handling, and maintenance of physical quality during transport and distribution, that affect the acceptability of the product by the consumer (Oltman et al., 2014). ...
... The treatment with 50% of the recommended rate presented higher values of light, showing that the consumer considers bright-appearance fruits more attractive. The results confirm those of Oltman et al. (2014), who evaluated different types of fresh tomatoes and found that consumers consider color as the most important attribute. Nitrogen application is needed to achieve high lycopene contents, which is directly related to the fruit color (Simonne et al., 2007;Kuscu et al., 2014). ...
Most sweet-grape tomatoes are marketed fresh; thus, sensorial characteristics are important for this vegetable. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the technological quality based on the physical, chemical, and sensorial characteristics of sweet-grape tomatoes, the cultivar Carolina, grown under different nitrogen (N) sources (urea and organo-mineral) and N rates (50%, 75%, 100%, and 125%). The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse with controlled environment; the plants were grown in pots, using a drip irrigation system. A completely randomized experimental design was used, in a 2×4 factorial arrangement. The N soil fertilizer application was divided into three times: at 10, 17, and 24 days after the emergence of the plants. The fruits were harvested when presenting reddish color in the whole surface. The parameters evaluated were: weight, volume, specific volume, density, color, texture, total soluble solids, and sensorial characteristics. The physical characteristics of the sweet-grape tomatoes showed better results when using the organo-mineral treatment. The sensorial analysis showed better results when using the treatment with organo-mineral nitrogen fertilizer, which resulted in better marketable fruits higher than 70%. The treatment with urea resulted in marketable fruits higher than 50%. The N rate of 50% (urea or organo-mineral) resulted in greater acceptance by consumers, when considering the parameters appearance and firmness.
... However, the authors debated that green and yellow tomatoes were rejected by all segments. It emerges that an attractive tomato was red (Jürkenbeck, Spiller, and Meyerding 2019;Oltman, Jervis, and Drake 2014;Rocha et al. 2013) with even and intense color (Oltman, Yates, and Drake 2016). These results were confirmed also for processed tomato. ...
... Also, the brightness of the color was perceived as an important attribute (Rocha et al. 2013;Verbeke et al. 2008). Referring to tomato size we discovered a dispute: some studies shown that it was not perceived as key quality attributes (Frez-Muñoz, Steenbekkers, and Fogliano 2016;Jürkenbeck, Spiller, and Meyerding 2019;Oltman, Yates, and Drake 2016;Rocha et al. 2013) and others considered the size an important external factor related to appearance Oltman, Jervis, and Drake 2014;Verbeke et al. 2008). Particularly, Oltman, Jervis, and Drake (2014) affirmed that an attractive tomato was medium/small sized. ...
... It represented an exception to this trend the study proposed by Rocha et al. (2013) according to which no significant differences were found referring to beautiful tomatoes. Several studies (Frez-Muñoz, Steenbekkers, and Fogliano 2016;Oltman, Jervis, and Drake 2014;Oltman, Yates, and Drake 2016;Rocha et al. 2013) shown the presence of a consumers' cluster that considered firmness one the most important quality attributes, representing a driver of tomatoes purchase intention (Rocha et al. 2013). On the contrary, from the results shown by Jürkenbeck, Spiller, and Meyerding (2019) and Martínez-Carrasco et al. (2012), firmness was considered one of the least important attributes respectively for German and Spanish consumers. ...
During the last two decades several studies were developed to understand the attributes able to affect consumer vegetable choice over the world. Focusing on fresh and processed tomato product, this study proposes a systematic literature review to systematize and critically apprise the current body of knowledge in this research field. In order to discover suggestions useful to enhance market strategies and policies about vegetable intake, the discovered tomato attributes were categorized, according the Search Experience and Credence logic, into: price, product features, packaging, convenience, brand, sensory properties, sustainability, origin, safety and health, production processes. By synthesizing the review findings, a multi-dimensional integrative content framework was conceived with the aim to maps the extant literature with multiple levels of analysis: antecedent, phenomenon and consequences. As part of the review, a future research agenda, theoretical and practical implications were discussed.
... Thus, greater emphasis is being laid on determining value preferences of consumers in terms of quality attributes they look for in fresh produce so that value chain activities can be upgraded accordingly (Adegbola et al., 2018). It is now commonly held belief that businesses operating along the chains cannot increase their profits without adequately meeting requirements of their target consumer markets located in different areas (Heuvel et al., 2007;Oltman et al., 2014). Value preferences of consumers living in different areas may have similarities as well as dissimilarities due to various socio-economic and cultural reasons (Kotler and Keller, 2016). ...
... 2006; Causse et al., 2010;Martínez-Carrasco et al., 2012;Alamanos et al., 2013;Oltman et al., 2014;Adegbola et al., 2018). However, such consumer research on tomatoes is unavailable in Pakistan. ...
... The study included six search (shape, peel colour, large size, freshness, undamaged and unblemished), nine experience (firmness, aroma, ease of peeling, pulp colour, sweet taste, ripeness, shelf-life, juiciness and seed presence), three safety (cleanliness, pesticide and origin) and six market-related attributes (price, retailer cleanliness, packaging, grading, certification and information provision). These quality attributes were identified from related studies (Causse et al., 2010;Oltman et al., 2014;Adegbola et al., 2018). Later, brief discussions with few consumers and experts were held to finalize these attributes in the local context. ...
The study determined value preferences of consumers for fresh tomatoes in Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad – the three major cities of Pakistan. The purpose of the study was to identify tomato quality attributes consumers considered important in their purchase decisions. To this end, a survey of 275 consumers of fresh tomatoes was conducted in the selected cities. Using convenient sampling technique, consumers were approached when they had finished buying vegetables at retail shops in different localities of the selected cities. For conducting face to face interviews, a questionnaire was developed from reviewing related studies and holding brief discussions with consumers. Data were captured on consumption and purchase preferences and consumer importance ratings on various quality attributes of tomatoes. Collected data were analysed using descriptive
statistics, analysis of variance and post-hoc tests. Results revealed both similarities and dissimilarities in consumption and purchase preferences for fresh tomatoes in three cities. The study did not find statistically significant differences among consumers in their preferences for most of the experience, safety and marketing attributes. Consumers largely differed in their preferences for search attributes. The study suggests that tomato value chain participants should deliver their produce according to the requirements of their target markets. For delivering fresh, undamaged and unblemished tomatoes, they need to upgrade their production, harvesting and marketing practices and improve collaboration among them. The study also urges related public-sector institutions to consider consumer requirements in designing their support activities because profitability of stakeholders in tomato value chains particularly growers cannot be enhanced without meeting these requirements.
... Therefore, the selection of heirloom tomato genotypes by color does not directly imply the Lyco content in the fruits, mainly because many heirloom tomatoes have a mixture of colors in the epicarp, justifying the importance of measuring both. It is noteworthy that the color of tomatoes is one of the most important factors for commercialization, especially in the consumer's purchase decision, which often chooses to buy red fruits (Oltman et al. 2014, Adegbola et al. 2019. ...
... According to Costa et al. (2019), a high SS/TA determines a mild flavor, which is desired by consumers; on the other hand, low values of this ratio indicate less appreciable flavor. In tomato breeding programs, it is desirable to improve the nutritional and sensory quality of the fruits of commercial cultivars, while it can guarantee a greater financial return to the horticulturist by exploring new consumer market niches, which are increasingly demanding in functional food and beautiful vegetables (Bartoshuk and Klee 2013, Oltman et al. 2014, Patil et al. 2014). ...
Heirloom tomatoes are open-pollinated varieties bearing a wide diversity of colors and shapes that may be used by breeders aiming to improve physical and biochemical fruit traits. Hence, in this work heirloom tomato accessions were characterized, gathering information to genetic breeding programs focusing on human food. For that, 67 heirloom tomato accessions were evaluated for fruit size, fruit mass, fruit volume, color, vitamin C, titratable acidity, soluble solids content, phenolic compounds content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three repetitions. Linear mixed model, Pearson’s correlation and hierarchical clustering were applied to data. Five groups were formed by Ward’s clustering method. The accession UEL 300 constituted group A, which had the greatest mass and volume fruit. Eight accessions formed group B and showed mostly yellow fruits. Group C was comprised of 13 accessions, which had the highest levels of carotenoids, vitamin C, and antioxidant activity. Thirty-three accessions that constituted group D did not stand out for any of the attributes, while 12 accessions into group E had the highest content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids, along with the highest ratio of soluble solids and acidity. Five accessions in this collection (UEL 296, UEL 146, UEL 238, UEL 231, and UEL 217) stood out for their biochemical traits. The wide diversity for physical and biochemical fruit traits can be explored in tomato breeding programs, seeking to develop new cultivars, and strengthening family farming.
Key words
Solanum lycopersicum L.; gene bank; tomato breeding; post-harvest quality; horticulture
... attractiveness, which is enhanced by the use of transparent packaging, allowing greater visibility of the product (Adegbola et al., 2019). Red fruit, such as the ones from BRS Iracema, BRS Zamir, and Sweet Heaven, are particularly interesting due to their commercial relevance and preference among consumers, as previously mentioned (Oltman et al., 2014). However, non-red fruit have been gaining more space and relevance on the supermarket shelves, and the availability of new cultivars with diverse colors suits the gastronomic sector demand to decorate dishes. ...
... The firmness of the fruit enhances its durability and represents one of the determining criteria for purchase (Wann, 1996). Considering that Iraí and Sweet Heaven are the crunchiest, their fruit are potentially more desirable by most consumers (Oltman et al., 2014). ...
The choice of promising parents represents a crucial step in developing improved cultivars in breeding programs for mini-tomatoes— highly demanded miniature vegetables. The association of non-sensory and sensory features of fruit greatly enhances the generation of cultivars that meet the expectations of the productive and commercial chain of tomatoes, focusing on diverse market niches. Thus, in this study, five genotypes of mini-tomatoes were characterized based on physical, biochemical, and sensory attributes. The genetic material encompasses four cultivars (BRS Iracema, BRS Zamir, Iraí, and Sweet Heaven) and one landrace (UEL 238). The fruit were characterized by their dimension, color, firmness, soluble solids content, acidity, vitamin C, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. In the sensorial test, 109 participants, including 27 chefs, evaluated the shape, size, color, aroma, flavor, texture, and overall liking of the fruit. The cultivar Sweet Heaven, with an oblong red fruit, brought together the main desirable physical traits, such as greater mass, pericarp thickness, firmness, and soluble solids content; while BRS Zamir presented superior values for biochemical characteristics, such as total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. Despite the lesser appreciation of the landrace UEL 238, all genotypes were accepted by consumers, especially BRS Iracema (round red fruit), followed by Iraí (oblong yellow fruit). The characterized mini-tomatoes may be explored in breeding programs as promising parents to combine desirable sensory attributes with the highest nutraceutical quality, resulting in superior cultivars that have been increasingly demanded on the market.
... Tomatoes are often processed into ketchup or consumed raw [3]. Studies showed that appealing tomatoes are typically medium-sized with bright red or reddish-orange hues, and the color is regulated by pigments like lycopene [4]. Additionally, consumers prefer tomatoes that are flavorful, juicy, sweet, and have minimal seeds [5]. ...
The tomato is a key fruit in China. However, the drive to produce higher-quality tomatoes has resulted in fertilizer overuse, soil degradation, and environmental pollution in recent years. Therefore, investigating the effects of balanced fertilization on the nutritional and flavor qualities of tomato plants is crucial. This study applied four fertilizer treatments to assess their effects on sugar and acid contents, sugar-metabolism-related enzyme activity, nitrate levels, ascorbic acid, pigments, polyphenols, and volatiles, and we performed a correlation analysis. The results showed that balanced fertilization increased glucose and fructose contents by 45% and 31% compared to CK (conventional fertilizer), while tartaric, citric, acetic, malic, and shikimic acid contents were reduced by 59%, 27%, 22%, 26%, and 4%, respectively. Additionally, balanced fertilization increased the activities of sucrose synthase (SS), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), acid invertase (AI), and neutral invertase (NI) by 58%, 26%, 19%, and 35%, respectively, compared to CK (conventional fertilizer) and upregulated the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), neutral invertase (NI), sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS), and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBP) genes. Moreover, balanced fertilization significantly enhanced the polyphenol content, as well as the diversity and concentration of volatiles. Correlation analysis confirmed that sugar-metabolism-related enzymes and genes were positively correlated with sugar fractions and negatively correlated with the organic acid content. Principal components analysis demonstrated that the balanced fertilization treatment was distinct from the other treatments, and all polyphenols, except for caffeic acid, were positively associated with balanced fertilization.
... Heating the juice did not significantly affect L*, a*, or b* parameters or acceptability ratings. Similarly, Oltman et al. [35] found respondents preferred red tomatoes over dark red, light red, orange, and yellow. A study on orange juice color among dietitians showed a preference for bright juices with an intense orange hue, similar to our finding that dietetics students preferred juices with the most red color and lowest lightness [36]. ...
Color plays a significant role in consumer decisions about food products, influencing preferences and choices and eliciting positive or negative associations. This study aimed to investigate the impact of color on dietitian food preferences, using selected tomato juices as an example. This study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the color of the tomato juices was evaluated using a Tri-Color SF80 spectrophotometer. In the second stage, the serialization method performed sensory analysis among dietitians. Results showed that dietitians pay special attention to the color of food products. Spectrophotometric analysis indicated that not all tested pairs of juices had color differences noticeable to an inexperienced observer. There was no clear correlation between the specific color parameters and the choices made by dietitians. These findings suggest that while color is an important factor in consumer preferences, it is not the sole determinant, highlighting the complexity of consumer decision-making processes and providing valuable insights for product marketing strategies.
... The external color of cherry tomatoes is more closely tied to consumer preferences, given its impact on the human eye's perception of color. Oltman et al. [30] reported color to be the most important external attribute for tomato liking in their survey conducted on consumers' attitudes and preferences for fresh market tomatoes. Although they reported red-colored tomatoes as attractive, they also stressed that different groups of tomato consumers exist, with specific preferences for health benefits, taste, firmness, and juiciness. ...
This study was conducted to characterize different colored lines of cherry tomatoes and derive information regarding their metabolite accumulation. Different colored cherry tomato cultivars, namely 'Jocheong', 'BN Satnolang', 'Gold Chance', 'Black Q', and 'Snacktom', were assessed for their firmness, taste characteristics, and nutritional metabolites at the commercial ripening stage. The cultivars demonstrated firmness to withstand impacts during harvesting and postharvest operations. The significant variations in the Brix to acid ratio (BAR) and the contents of phenylalanine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid highlight the distinct taste characteristics among the cultivars, and the nutritional metabolites are associated with the color of the cultivars. The cultivar choices would be the black-colored 'Black Q' for chlorophylls, β-carotene, total flavonoids, and anthocyanins; the red-colored 'Snacktom' for lycopene; the orange-colored 'Gold Chance' for total phenolics; and the green-colored 'Jocheong' for chlorophylls, vitamin C, GABA, glutamic acid, essential amino acids, and total free amino acids. The antioxidant capacity varied among the cultivars, with 'Gold Chance' consistently exhibiting the highest activity across the four assays, followed by 'Snacktom'. This study emphasizes the importance of screening cultivars to support breeding programs for improving the nutritional content and encourages the inclusion of a diverse mix of different colored cherry tomatoes in packaging to obtain the cumulative or synergistic effects of secondary metabolites.
... Specifically, research shows that breeding efforts have altered the metabolome of tomato fruit, leading to the loss of numerous genes associated with fruit quality in favour of higher yields [21]. Currently, the nutritional and organoleptic quality of fresh tomatoes is a vital parameter for growers and tomato breeders due to the rising consumer interest in healthy and flavourful food [5,22,23]. Landraces could serve as a workable solution, as they may possess beneficial allelic combinations that are absent in modern varieties [24,25]. Although these traditional types often possess exceptional organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, their agronomic performance in terms of yield or resistance to the prevailing biotic stresses is often unsatisfactory, rendering them inappropriate for widespread commercial cultivation under most circumstances [26]. ...
The high genetic diversity of the tomato and its high micronutrient content make this fruit very interesting from an economic and nutritional point of view. The genetic erosion suffered by this crop, due to breeding objectives based on yield and marketing, makes it necessary to return to the origins in search of the nutritional and organoleptic quality lost in traditional varieties. In this study, the agronomic, physical, organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of eighteen F1 hybrids obtained by crossing fourteen traditional varieties, previously selected for their quality, were studied to select genotypes of superior quality that could be candidates for new. All parameters studied were strongly influenced by genotype, showing a wide range between cultivars. Principal Component Analysis revealed the characteristics of each hybrid that made it stand out from the others. Some hybrids (H3, H4, and H6) stand out because of their high concentration of active compounds, others (H16, H15, H10, H17, H9, and H11) because of agronomic performance and high content of β-carotene, and H5 was the only one to contain chlorophyll in their ripe fruits. Finally, the evaluation index allowed the selection of five hybrids with interesting characteristics, combining good yield performance and high quality
... Specifically, research shows that breeding efforts have altered the metabolome of tomato fruit, leading to the loss of numerous genes associated with fruit quality in favour of higher yields [21]. Currently, the nutritional and organoleptic quality of fresh tomatoes is a vital parameter for growers and tomato breeders due to the rising consumer interest in healthy and flavourful food [5,22,23]. Landraces could serve as a workable solution, as they may possess beneficial allelic combinations that are absent in modern varieties [24,25]. Although these traditional types often possess exceptional organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, their agronomic performance in terms of yield or resistance to the prevailing biotic stresses is often unsatisfactory, rendering them inappropriate for widespread commercial cultivation under most circumstances [26]. ...
The high genetic diversity of the tomato and its high micronutrient content make this fruit very interesting from an economic and nutritional point of view. The genetic erosion suffered by this crop, due to breeding objectives based on yield and marketing, makes it necessary to return to the origins in search of the nutritional and organoleptic quality lost in traditional varieties. In this study, the agronomic, physical, organoleptic, and nutritional characteristics of eighteen F1 hybrids, obtained by crossing fourteen traditional varieties, previously selected for their quality, were studied in order to select genotypes of superior quality that could be candidates for new varieties. All the parameters studied were strongly influenced by genotype, with a wide range between varieties. Most of the experimental hybrids showed higher quality scores than the commercial hybrids used as controls, due to the extensive selection process carried out on the parents in previous work. Principal component analysis revealed the characteristics of each hybrid that distinguished it from the others. Some hybrids (H1, H2, and H4) stood out for their high concentration of active compounds, others (H14, H13, H8, H15, H7, and H9) for their agronomic performance and high β-carotene content, and H3 was the only one to contain chlorophyll in its ripe fruits. Finally, the evaluation index allowed the selection of five hybrids with interesting characteristics, combining good yield performance and high quality. The results of this work have allowed for the selection of a group of hybrids with high organoleptic and nutritional quality which will be used as parents in a breeding programme, in which their characteristics will be fixed and their resilience will be increased through the introduction of virus resistance.
... While the agricultural sector continues to grow, global agrobiodiversity is decreasing due to the loss of genetic diversity in food crop varieties (Messmer, 2015). This has led to a notable loss in the nutritional quality, flavour and taste of vegetables (Figàs et Unfortunately, modern agriculture does not make the right choices, as it focuses its efforts on the development of economically important plant varieties, prioritizing traits such as high yield, longevity and visual impact, but neglecting organoleptic and nutritional quality, leading to consumer dissatisfaction (Casals et al., 2011, Oltman, 2014. In this context, traditional varieties play a fundamental social, environmental and agronomic role in ecosystems. ...
... Tomato taste remains the critical parameter, and most of the consumers in European countries prefer sweeter tomatoes (Oltman et al., 2014), which have higher soluble solids (therefore higher sugar content) and moderate acidity. The total titratable acid (TTA) values ranged from 0.95 g citric acid/100 g FW (G13) to 1.73 g citric acid/100 g FW (G1) ( Table 1). ...
Tomato, one of the most produced vegetables in the world, is experiencing continuous global increase in both production and consumption. Fruit quality traits are important for fresh market tomatoes as well as for the processing industry. Despite the growing demand for both fresh and processed tomatoes, consumers are not satisfied with the quality of available fruits. The main objectives of the present work were to determine the physicochemical characteristics [pH, total soluble solids (TSS), total titratable acids (TTA), TSS/TTA ratio, DMC, lycopene, β-carotene, vitamin C, and total phenolic content], as well as the antioxidant activity of 13 different tomato lines, and to identify the most promising ones in terms of fruit taste and quality. Antioxidant activity was determined using the ABTS and DPPH methods with Trolox used as the standard compound. PCA analysis was conducted to identify group patterns. The results of PCA analysis indicated a specific genotypic response in all investigated physicochemical traits. Genotypes 2, 10, and 13 were identified as the best for fresh consumption, as they exhibited the highest levels of compounds crucial for good taste, nutrition, and human health benefits. The most promising genotype related to fruit quality attributes was genotype 10 with the best TSS and TAA content and TSS/TAA ratio, which is important for overall taste perception. On the other hand, genotype 9 showed promise for industrial purposes due to its ideal pH value in the juice and good soluble solid content. High antioxidant activity was characteristic of genotypes 1 and 2, and their consumption as fresh tomatoes can be beneficial to human health. They also should be considered for further evaluation as potentially interesting genotypes for abiotic stress research and selection programs which can lead to the development of both superior fruit quality and stress tolerant genotypes.
... Color and quality are essential consumer purchasing considerations (Oltman et al., 2014;Tang et al., 2022;Jiang et al., 2023). For instance, consumers in Asia tend to choose pink tomatoes, whereas most European consumers prefer red tomatoes (Ballester et al., 2009;Lin et al., 2014). ...
As global climate change progresses and the demand for nutritional value in food increases, new challenges have been posed for the cultivation of grains, fruits, and vegetables and the functionality of food. Traditional breeding combined with hybridization enhances grain yield, boosts fruit and vegetable production, and augments the beneficial components of food. However, these approaches fail to satisfy the diverse requirements. Gene-editing technology offers new tools like clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), enabling precise modifications of plant or animal genes to enhance their characteristics. Gene-edited foods offer numerous advantages, such as increased crop yields, improved nutritional value, enhanced stress resistance, and disease resistance. However, promoting genetically edited food faces several challenges, such as safety research, international regulatory differences, and public perception and acceptance. To achieve widespread application of gene-edited food, strengthening safety research, harmonizing international regulations, and raising public awareness are essential. This review highlights the development of gene-editing technology and its application in fruits and vegetables, reviews the legal regulations and attitudes of different countries towards gene-edited food, and provides perspectives on the future of gene-edited food.
... This practice is primarily due to their firmness, extended shelf-life, and the potential to turn red after being removed from the plant 2 . The decision to harvest at this stage is largely influenced by consumer preferences for fresh tomatoes, particularly their color and texture 3 , as well as the need to minimize potential damage during transportation and other supply chain-related activities. In academic research, the role of technology in optimizing agricultural practices is highly emphasized. ...
Harvesting fully ripe tomatoes with mobile robots presents significant challenges in real-world scenarios. These challenges arise from factors such as occlusion caused by leaves and branches, as well as the color similarity between tomatoes and the surrounding foliage during the fruit development stage. The natural environment further compounds these issues with varying light conditions, viewing angles, occlusion factors, and different maturity levels. To overcome these obstacles, this research introduces a novel framework that leverages a convolutional transformer architecture to autonomously recognize and grade tomatoes, irrespective of their occlusion level, lighting conditions, and ripeness. The proposed model is trained and tested using carefully annotated images curated specifically for this purpose. The dataset is prepared under various lighting conditions, viewing perspectives, and employs different mobile camera sensors, distinguishing it from existing datasets such as Laboro Tomato and Rob2Pheno Annotated Tomato. The effectiveness of the proposed framework in handling cluttered and occluded tomato instances was evaluated using two additional public datasets, Laboro Tomato and Rob2Pheno Annotated Tomato, as benchmarks. The evaluation results across these three datasets demonstrate the exceptional performance of our proposed framework, surpassing the state-of-the-art by 58.14%, 65.42%, and 66.39% in terms of mean average precision scores for KUTomaData, Laboro Tomato, and Rob2Pheno Annotated Tomato, respectively. The results underscore the superiority of the proposed model in accurately detecting and delineating tomatoes compared to baseline methods and previous approaches. Specifically, the model achieves an F1-score of 80.14%, a Dice coefficient of 73.26%, and a mean IoU of 66.41% on the KUTomaData image dataset.
... The sensory quality of a fruit can be described as the cross-talk between taste and olfactory systems; so, flavor is largely dependent on sugar/acid balance, but also volatiles have been described to have a significant impact on sweetness perception (Baldwin et al., 2000). Flavor remains a major breeding challenge and although efforts to increase sugar contents in new fruit breeding varieties have been done (Fridman et al., 2004;Oltman et al., 2014), it has been difficult without affecting fruit size. This is due to extreme genetic selection through domestication showing the strong linkage of the genomic regions associated to both traits (Tieman et al., 2017). ...
In the last decades, linkage mapping has help in the location of metabolite quantitative trait loci (QTL) in many species; however, this approach shows some limitations. Recently, thanks to the most recent advanced in high-throughput genotyping technologies like next-generation sequencing, metabolite genome-wide association study (mGWAS) has been proposed a powerful tool to identify the genetic variants in polygenic agrinomic traits. Fruit flavor is a complex interaction of aroma volatiles and taste being sugar and acid ratio key parameter for flavor acceptance. Here, we review recent progress of mGWAS in pinpoint gene polymorphisms related to flavor-related metabolites in fruits. Despite clear successes in discovering novel genes or regions associated with metabolite accumulation affecting sensory attributes in fruits, GWAS incurs in several limitations summarized in this review. In addition, in our own work, we performed mGWAS on 194 Citrus grandis accessions to investigate the genetic control of individual primary and lipid metabolites in ripe fruit. We have identified a total of 667 associations for 14 primary metabolites including amino acids, sugars, and organic acids, and 768 associations corresponding to 47 lipids. Furthermore, candidate genes related to important metabolites related to fruit quality such as sugars, organic acids and lipids were discovered.
... A reverse attribute is the attribute that should be avoided, i.e., presence causes dissatisfaction and absence causes satisfaction (Kano et al. 1984). Kano questions have also been applied to evaluate consumer responses to foods, including protein beverages, tomatoes, and bacon (McLean et al. 2017;Oltman et al. 2014Oltman et al. , 2015. ...
Sensory science is a multidisciplinary field that encompasses a wide variety of established and newly developed tests to document human responses to stimuli. Sensory tests are not limited to the area of food science but they find wide application within the diverse areas of the food science arena. Sensory tests can be divided into two basic groups: analytical tests and affective tests. Analytical tests are generally product-focused, and affective tests are generally consumer-focused. Selection of the appropriate test is critical for actionable results. This review addresses an overview of sensory tests and best practices.
... A reverse attribute is the attribute that should be avoided, i.e., presence causes dissatisfaction and absence causes satisfaction (Kano et al. 1984). Kano questions have also been applied to evaluate consumer responses to foods, including protein beverages, tomatoes, and bacon (McLean et al. 2017;Oltman et al. 2014Oltman et al. , 2015. ...
Sensory science is a multidisciplinary field that encompasses a wide variety of established and newly developed tests to document human responses to stimuli. Sensory tests are not limited to the area of food science but they find wide application within the diverse areas of the food science arena. Sensory tests can be divided into two basic groups: analytical tests and affective tests. Analytical tests are generally product-focused, and affective tests are generally consumer-focused. Selection of the appropriate test is critical for actionable results. This review addresses an overview of sensory tests and best practices.
... Tomato deterioration with respect to retailers and consumer's appreciation is very subjective, but this study shows that fruit firmness is the most indicative attribute used by these tomatoes dealer to judge the quality of a tomato fruit as being good or bad. This results corroborates with the findings of [24], [25], [26]. Equally, as a results of the packaging methods adopted by the surveyed tomatoes retailers during the nights of the dry and rainy seasons (covering the fruits with polyethylene papers), the shelf life of the fruits found were not in accordance to the findings of [27], this is probably due to the fact that tomatoes are a climacteric fruit and the climates where [27] did the search are different and owing to the different in tomatoes variety. ...
... The primary consideration is the colour of the tomato, as consumer preference, as it is one of the most important quality parameters from which to infer other characteristics of the fruit (4,5). ...
... Findings from previous studies show that attribute preferences differ depending on the product group. For tomatoes, these are price (Meyerding, 2016), color (Oltman et al., 2014), and flavor (Martínez-Carrasco et al., 2012); for bananas, attribute preferences are ripeness (Symmank et al., 2018), size (Pearson, 2003), and quality (Dhamotharan et al., 2015). ...
Branding is an important tool to increase a product's value. Fresh fruits and vegetables are largely unbranded. This study aimed to 1) investigate consumer preferences for brands (including brand transfers) of fresh produce, compared with other extrinsic attributes, 2) identify consumer segments and describe them with the psychological scale “food and beverage need for uniqueness” (FBNFU), and 3) explore consumer thought processing of brands during choice. We applied a concurrent mixed-methods approach: a discrete choice experiment and latent class analysis (quantitative) and a think-aloud interview (qualitative). Results showed that brands are not generally the most important attribute for choice. Experimental brand transfers received the lowest preference rating (i.e., part-worth utilities). However, for certain consumer segments, branding is most important. The consumer segments with the strongest preference for brands showed the highest level of FBNFU. Consumers' thought process during choice typically starts with brand recognition, and associations follow. Consumers with negative or no associations, or who were unfamiliar with the brand, disregarded the brand as the choice process progressed. Our results provide insights into the value of fresh-produce brands for consumers. Practitioners should target the FBNFU mindset and maximize brand awareness when promoting branded fresh produce.
... higher than the conventional freezing concerning color, texture and overall acceptability (Fig 1). Survey results say that the most attractive attribute of tomatoes towards purchase is the color, especially the red color is preferred (Oltman et al., 2014). Sensory analysis for color, BFT tomatoes have a higher magnitude of preferences. ...
Background: Due to their highly perishable nature, vegetables possess a higher chance of deterioration and damage after harvesting. Freezing is a potential preservation technique used to reduce the deterioration and increase the shelf life of vegetables by preventing the wastage of substantial quantities of tomatoes in Sri Lanka.
Methods: In this research calcium chloride (2.4% w/w) pretreated Thilina and RIDA F1 tomato variety pieces were analyzed drip loss, pH, color, hardness, cutting shearing strength, ascorbic acid content and sensory parameters under air blast freezing (-30C, 3 ms-1 air velocity) and conventional freezing (-18C) conditions.
Result: The L* values of colour, pH and ascorbic acid content were shown significant differences (p<0.05) but a*, b* values, driploss%, cutting and shearing strength didn't show any significant differences (p<0.05) during different freezing conditions. The magnitude of color change (E) is higher (p<0.05) in conventional freezing treatment than in air-blast freezing. The preference among the panelists is significantly (p<0.05) higher for blast frozen tomato samples than conventional frozen samples concerning color, odor, texture and overall quality parameters. According to the statistical analysis, air blast freezing preserve better physiochemical and sensory parameters of Thilina and RIDA F1 tomato varieties.
... It seems that a high rating of sensory aroma and measured a * value were important factors that enhanced the acceptability of "Supersweet 100 F 1 " and "Sakura F 1 ", regardless of their superiority in sweetness as the most important criterion. Redcolored tomatoes are more familiar and attractive to consumers than other colored fruits (59,60). Regarding the aroma, both sensory tests confirmed that "Supersweet 100 F 1 ", "Black Cherry", "Sakura F 1 ", and "Goldita" had the most intensive aroma. ...
This study was conducted to determine the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with fruit flavor in diverse tomato cultivars (salad and cocktail cultivars) under organic low-input production. For this objective, 60 cultivars deriving from very diverse breeding programs 1880–2015 were evaluated in 2015, and a subset of 20 cultivars was selected for further evaluation in 2016. The diversity of instrumentally determined traits, especially for VOCs concentration and sensory properties (fruit firmness, juiciness, skin firmness, sweetness, sourness, aroma, and acceptability), was investigated at two harvest dates. The evaluation of the cultivars exhibited a wide range of variation for all studied traits, with the exception of a few VOCs. Cultivar had the most important effect on all instrumentally determined traits, while the influence of cultivar × harvest date × year interaction was significant for 17 VOCs, but not for total soluble solid (TSS) and titratable acidity (TA). The VOCs with the highest proportion (>8%) were hexanal, 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-one, 2-isobutylthiazole, and (E)-2-hexenal, which were identified in all cultivars. Twelve VOCs significantly correlated with one or more sensory attributes and these VOCs also allowed differentiation of the fruit type. Among these VOCs, phenylethyl alcohol and benzyl alcohol positively correlated with acceptability in the cocktail cultivars, whereas 2-isobuthylthiazole and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-ol negatively correlated with acceptability in the salad cultivars. As a result of this study, organic breeders are recommended to use cultivars from a wide range of breeding programs to improve important quality and agronomic traits. As examples, salad tomatoes “Campari F1”, “Green Zebra”, and “Auriga”, as well as cocktail tomatoes “Supersweet 100 F1”, “Sakura F1”, and “Black Cherry” showed higher scores for the sensory attributes aroma and acceptability under organic low-input growing conditions. It remains a challenge for breeders and growers to reduce the trade-off of yield and quality.
... higher than the conventional freezing concerning color, texture and overall acceptability (Fig 1). Survey results say that the most attractive attribute of tomatoes towards purchase is the color, especially the red color is preferred (Oltman et al., 2014). Sensory analysis for color, BFT tomatoes have a higher magnitude of preferences. ...
Background: Due to their highly perishable nature, vegetables possess a higher chance of deterioration and damage after harvesting. Freezing is a potential preservation technique used to reduce the deterioration and increase the shelf life of vegetables by preventing the wastage of substantial quantities of tomatoes in Sri Lanka. Methods: In this research calcium chloride (2.4% w/w) pretreated Thilina and RIDA F1 tomato variety pieces were analyzed drip loss, pH, color, hardness, cutting shearing strength, ascorbic acid content and sensory parameters under air blast freezing (-30°C, 3 ms-1 air velocity) and conventional freezing (-18°C) conditions. Result: The L* values of colour, pH and ascorbic acid content were shown significant differences (p less than 0.05) but a*, b* values, driploss%, cutting and shearing strength didn’t show any significant differences (p less than 0.05) during different freezing conditions. The magnitude of color change (∆E) is higher (p less than 0.05) in conventional freezing treatment than in air-blast freezing. The preference among the panelists is significantly (p less than 0.05) higher for blast frozen tomato samples than conventional frozen samples concerning color, odor, texture and overall quality parameters. According to the statistical analysis, air blast freezing preserve better physiochemical and sensory parameters of Thilina and RIDA F1 tomato varieties.
... Although other sources of dietary lycopene can be found in watermelon, GAC (Momordica cochinchinensis) fruit, pink grapefruit, and pink guava, the high consumption of tomatoes in the American diet accounts for about 85% of the lycopene consumed [5]. Lycopene is the primary carotenoid that gives tomato fruit a red color at the red ripe stage [6], and the red color of lycopene is one of the most significant decision factors in consumer acceptance of fresh market tomatoes and tomato processing products [7]. In tomato, lycopene begins to accumulate at the breaker stage of ripening and reaches maximal content at the red ripe stage. ...
Lycopene content in tomato fruit is largely under genetic control and varies greatly among genotypes. Continued improvement of lycopene content in elite varieties with conventional breeding has become challenging, in part because little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms in high-lycopene tomatoes (HLYs). We collected 42 HLYs with different genetic backgrounds worldwide. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed lycopene contents differed among the positive control wild tomato Solanum pimpinellifolium, HLYs, the normal lycopene cultivar “Moneymaker”, and the non-lycopene cultivar NC 1Y at the pink and red ripe stages. Real-time RT-PCR analysis of expression of the 25 carotenoid biosynthesis pathway genes of each genotype showed a significantly higher expression in nine upstream genes (GGPPS1, GGPPS2, GGPPS3, TPT1, SSU II, PSY2, ZDS, CrtISO and CrtISO-L1 but not the well-studied PSY1, PDS and Z-ISO) at the breaker and/or red ripe stages in HLYs compared to Moneymaker, indicating a higher metabolic flux flow into carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in HLYs. Further conversion of lycopene to carotenes may be prevented via the two downstream genes (β-LCY2 and ε-LCY), which had low-abundance transcripts at either or both stages. Additionally, the significantly higher expression of four downstream genes (BCH1, ZEP, VDE, and CYP97C11) at either or both ripeness stages leads to significantly lower fruit lycopene content in HLYs than in the wild tomato. This is the first systematic investigation of the role of the complete pathway genes in regulating fruit lycopene biosynthesis across many HLYs, and enables tomato breeding and gene editing for increased fruit lycopene content.
... Thus, fruit size and vertical/horizontal ratio (fruit shape index) are important indicators of tomato traits. Fruit color is the most attractive attribute as commodities (Oltman et al., 2014). The pericarp is the circular outer part of the fruit fresh part developed from mesocarp. ...
Tomato fruit phenotypes are important agronomic traits in tomato breeding as a reference index. The traditional measurement methods based on manual observation, however, limit the high-throughput data collection of tomato fruit morphologies. In this study, fruits of 10 different tomato cultivars with considerable differences in fruit color, size, and other morphological characters were selected as samples. Constant illumination condition was applied to take images of the selected tomato fruit samples. Based on image recognition, automated methods for measuring color and size indicators of tomato fruit phenotypes were proposed. A deep learning model based on Mask Region-Convolutional Neural Network (R-CNN) was trained and tested to analyze the internal structure indicators of tomato fruit. The results revealed that the combined use of these methods can extract various important fruit phenotypes of tomato, including fruit color, horizontal and vertical diameters, top and navel angles, locule number, and pericarp thickness, automatically. Considering several corrections of missing and wrong segmentation cases in practice, the average precision of the deep learning model is more than 0.95 in practice. This suggests a promising locule segmentation and counting performance. Vertical/horizontal ratio (fruit shape index) and locule area proportion were also calculated based on the data collected here. The measurement precision was comparable to manual operation, and the measurement efficiency was highly improved. The results of this study will provide a new option for more accurate and efficient tomato fruit phenotyping, which can effectively avoid artificial error and increase the support efficiency of relevant data in the future breeding work of tomato and other fruit crops.
... It is an effective method to investigate the effect of packaging through the creation of artificial (but realistic) package images created through statistically optimized experimental designs (Deliza, Macfie, & Hedderley, 2003). Examples of recent applications can be found in several product categories such as meat (Mclean, Hanson, Jervis, & Drake, 2017), dairy (Hubbard, Jervis, & Drake, 2016; Mccarthy, Parker, Ameerally, Drake, & Drake, 2017), and fresh produce (Oltman, Jervis, & Drake, 2014). ...
Bilgi çağı, büyük bir hızla günlük hayatta yer edinmeye başlamıştır. Öyle ki öğrenebilen makineler, sürücü olmadan
hareket edebilen araçlar, tüketici ile sohbet imkânı sunan yazılımlar, robotik cerrahi uygulamaları gibi örneklerini
sıralayabileceğimiz dijitalleşen Dünyada kabul edilmelidir ki hala başrol insana aittir. Bilgiye değer katan ve onu anlamlandıran
insan, her dönemin en değerli kaynağı olmayı sürdürürken her sene çok sayıda insan iş kazası ve meslek hastalıkları nedeniyle
hayatını kaybetmekte veya çalışma gücünden olmaktadır. Devamlılığı amaçlayan işletmeler, insanların meslekleri nedeniyle
maruz kaldıkları riskleri azaltmak, verimliliği engelleyen unsurları minimuma indirmek, iş sağlığı ve güvenliği alanındaki
çalışmaları artırmak için teknolojik yatırımlarını her geçen gün artırmaktadır. İş sağlığı ve güvenliği kapsamında gerçekleştirilen
çalışmalar ve eğitimler genel anlamda yalnızca teoriden ibarettir. Uygulamalı eğitimlerin bu anlamda riskli olduğu
belirtilmektedir. Ancak, yaşanan teknolojik gelişmeler her alanda olduğu gibi eğitim ve öğrenme alanlarında da etkisini
göstermektedir. Yaşanan bu gelişmeler ile bireylerin öğrenme sürecinde aktif rol üstlendiği ortamlar geliştirilerek öğretimin
kalitesi ve etkinliği artırılmaktadır. Son zamanlarda hızlı gelişim gösteren sanal gerçeklik teknolojisi de öğretim yöntemlerinde
yeni bir deneyim imkânı sunmaktadır. Bu çalışma ile amaçlanan iş sağlığı ve güvenliği açısından çalışanların çok daha anlaşılır
ve kalıcı bilgiler edinmelerini sağlamak amacıyla sanal gerçeklik uygulamalarının verilmesinin, verilen bu eğitim
uygulamalarının tehlikelerden korunma açısından önemini incelemek ve sanal gerçeklik ile deneyimsel öğrenme tekniğini
ortaya koymaktır.
... color, shape, and firmness) as well as the intrinsic characteristics (e.g. taste and aroma) (OlTmAn et al., 2014). The flavor is a complex attribute and derived from the interaction between the volatile compounds, such as hexanal and 2-isobutylthiazole, and nonvolatile components like sugar, acids, and minerals (beckleS, 2012). ...
Sensory properties are an essential quality aspect when the consumption of fresh tomato is under consideration. The flavor of tomato is defined as a combination of taste sensations (sweetness, sourness), aroma (volatile compounds), and texture (firmness, mealiness), some of which are proven to be affected by insufficient nutrient supply − especially potassium (K). This study intends to undertake a holis- tic assessment of the K fertilization effect on the flavor of tomato by connecting the use of sensorial and instrumental methods. An optimal K supply significantly increased the sensory descriptors sweetness, sourness, and aroma as well as the instrumental estimated color, firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acids (TA), and dry matter (DM) in a cultivar-specific manner. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were not significantly affected by K fertilization. The evaluation by the panelists confirmed the results of the instru- mental analyses, by which an increment in the fruit quality with ris- ing K supply could be detected. An optimal K supply of 3.66 g/plant could be suggested to increase tomato flavor in the cocktail cultivars studied: Primavera and Yellow Submarine. Cultivar effects should, therefore, be considered for defining the optimal K fertilizer dose that favors high tomato fruit quality and, hence, better flavor.
... Tomatoes are one of the most extensively used fruit or vegetable crop in the world, with approximately 180 million tons of tomato fruits produced per year since 2016 [1,2]. Due to the desire of consumers for fresh tomatoes, especially the red color and firmness attributes [3], and to minimize transportation or other supply chain related injury, tomatoes are commercially picked at the mature green stage of ripening [4][5][6] because mature green tomatoes are still firm, have a longer shelf life, and can continue turning red even after being detached from the plant [7]. ...
Since the mature green tomatoes have color similar to branches and leaves, some are shaded by branches and leaves, and overlapped by other tomatoes, the accurate detection and location of these tomatoes is rather difficult. This paper proposes to use the Mask R-CNN algorithm for the detection and segmentation of mature green tomatoes. A mobile robot is designed to collect images round-the-clock and with different conditions in the whole greenhouse, thus, to make sure the captured dataset are not only objects with the interest of users. After the training process, RestNet50-FPN is selected as the backbone network. Then, the feature map is trained through the region proposal network to generate the region of interest (ROI), and the ROIAlign bilinear interpolation is used to calculate the target region, such that the corresponding region in the feature map is pooled to a fixed size based on the position coordinates of the preselection box. Finally, the detection and segmentation of mature green tomatoes is realized by the parallel actions of ROI target categories, bounding box regression and mask. When the Intersection over Union is equal to 0.5, the performance of the trained model is the best. The experimental results show that the F1-Score of bounding box and mask region all achieve 92.0%. The image acquisition processes are fully unobservable, without any user preselection, which are a highly heterogenic mix, the selected Mask R-CNN algorithm could also accurately detect mature green tomatoes. The performance of this proposed model in a real greenhouse harvesting environment is also evaluated, thus facilitating the direct application in a tomato harvesting robot.
... Consumer decisions in food purchases are influenced by several factors, including environmental, production, nutritional and qualitative concerns (Moser et al., 2011). Consumer perception of quality is influenced by the intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of a product, some of which can be evaluated before the purchase (e.g., price, dimension, size, color), while others can be determined only after consumption (e.g., taste, flavor, convenience) (Moser et al., 2011;Oltman et al., 2014). ...
The valorization of plant genetic resources and their direct use in local markets can make a significant contribution to the preservation of agrobiodiversity, while also contributing to the sustainability of rural communities. Indeed, plant genetic resources are a precious source of genes, and they represent an important crop heritage for the quality and sensory characteristics that are required by both farmers and consumers. However, an efficient strategy of agrobiodiversity conservation is strictly connected to product marketability and to consumer preferences. In the present study, choice experiments that involved 920 consumers were carried out to determine their willingness to pay for ancient local tomato varieties (landraces) rather than commercial varieties based on their preferences, and to determine how much they valued these products. The results obtained indicate that consumers are willing to pay premium prices for ancient local tomato varieties (an additional €0.90 kg ⁻¹ ), thus demonstrating their increasing attention to sustainable food and the willingness to contribute to agrobiodiversity conservation and enhancement. These results provide the basis for planning strategies and programs to support the cultivation of these landraces and the development of regional and national markets to acknowledge their characteristics, which will considerably increase the effectiveness and efficiency of conservation strategies.
... Tomato fruit quality for fresh consumption depends on numerous traits relating to external (appearance, hand-evaluated texture), and internal (texture, flavor and nutritive value) attributes, most of which are polygenic traits influenced by the genotype, the environment, the agronomic practices, but also the maturity stage [2][3][4]. Considering the purchase environment, external quality attributes are primary drivers in the initial consumer's choice [5], while eating quality becomes the major influencing factor in subsequent purchases [6]. Preference mapping studies conducted on fresh market tomatoes have frequently reported flavor and texture to be the main factors driving and differentiating consumer preferences [7][8][9][10]. ...
Consumer dissatisfaction with the flavor quality of many modern fresh market tomato varieties has fostered breeders’ interest in sensory quality improvement, and the demand for traditional varieties, which are generally associated with better flavor. To achieve further knowledge on the factors influencing the sensory quality and consumers’ preferences and perception, European traditional and modern fresh market tomato varieties were grown and evaluated in France, Italy, and Spain. Different growing conditions were tested in France (soilless vs. soil) and in Spain (open field vs. greenhouse), while in Italy fruits were evaluated at two ripening stages. Fruit quality was assessed by integrating physicochemical analyses, sensory profiles, and consumer tests. In all three countries, overall modern varieties were perceived as having more intense “tomato flavor” and “overall flavor” than traditional ones. In France and Spain, consumers’ preferences were more oriented towards modern varieties than traditional ones. Significant growing condition effects were found on sensory and physicochemical traits, while the effect on consumers’ overall liking was not significant, largely depending on the genotype. A fair agreement between product configurations from descriptive analysis by trained assessors and Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) questions by consumers was observed. Penalty-lift analysis based on CATA allowed identifying positive and negative drivers of liking.
... In tomato, a known QTL associated with fruit size and locule number was reconstructed to produce large fruits with numerous locules [86]. For consumers, fruit texture and color are the key components to identify fresh tomatoes [87]. American and European consumers prefer red tomatoes, while Asia consumers prefer pink tomatoes [88,89]. ...
In several parts of the world, the prevalence and severity of drought are predicted to increase, creating considerable pressure on global agricultural yield. Among all abiotic stresses, drought is anticipated to produce the most substantial impact on soil biota and plants, along with complex environmental impacts on other ecological systems. Being sessile, plants tend to be the least resilient to drought-induced osmotic stress, which reduces nutrient accessibility due to soil heterogeneity and limits nutrient access to the root system. Drought tolerance is a complex quantitative trait regulated by multiple genes, and it is one of the most challenging characteristics to study and classify. Fortunately, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) technology has paved the way as a new frontier in crop improvement, thereby revolutionizing plant breeding. The application of CRISPER systems has proven groundbreaking across numerous biological fields, particularly in biomedicine and agriculture. The present review highlights the principle and optimization of CRISPR systems and their implementation for crop improvement, particularly in terms of drought tolerance, yield, and domestication. Furthermore, we address the ways in which innovative genome editing tools can help recognize and modify novel genes coffering drought tolerance. We anticipate the establishment of effective strategies of crop yield improvement in water-limited regions through collaborative efforts in the near future.
... The color of tomatoes is mainly linked to the lycopene content and is by far the most important quality parameter as is the first characteristic to be evaluated by consumers. This is because color is the single most important product-intrinsic sensory indicator when it comes to setting people's expectations regarding the likely taste and flavor of tomatoes [30]. In the present study, in general, higher red color was found in tomatoes growth under water stress conditions, as shown by higher values of the color coordinates a* and Chroma (C). ...
The tomato cultivated surface is one of the most important surfaces in the world. This crop needs a sufficient and continuous supply of water during vegetative growth. Therefore, production may be at risk in warm and water-scarce areas. Therefore, the implementation of irrigation alternatives such as regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) is of great importance to reduce the use of water and improve the production of the quality of tomatoes. The objective of this work was to evaluate the deficit irrigation scheduling using plant water status as a tool in deficit irrigation. Experimental design was a randomized design with four replications per treatment. Two irrigation treatments were applied: Control (125% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc)) and Regulated Deficit Irrigation (RDI). This latter treatment considered different threshold values of midday leaf water depending on crop phenological stage. No differences were observed in yield, with RDI treatment being more efficient in the use of irrigation water than the control. Besides, RDI tomatoes presented, in general, greater weight, size, Total soluble solids (TSS), sugars, antioxidant activity, lycopene, β-Carotene, and redder color with more intense tomatoes flavor. Finally, it might be said that RDI strategy helped to reduce 53% of irrigation water and to improve the nutritional, functional, and sensory quality of tomatoes.
... Massaglia, Borra, Peano, Sottile, and Merlino (2019) found that appearance was ranked 7th in order of importance when studying preferences for fruits and vegetables in Italy using a BWS approach. Oltman, Jervis, and Drake (2014) found through focus groups that U.S. consumers percieved an attractive tomato to be red, firm, medium/small sized, crisp, meaty, juicy, flavorful, and with few seeds. This work builds on the existing literature by expanding knowledge related to how the use of images and words impact consumer preferences for tomatoes using best-worst scaling experiments. ...
Two best-worst scaling (BWS) experiments, one including only pictures and one including both pictures and descriptive words, were used to rank consumer preference for tomatoes with varying attributes in a nationally representative sample of 1,200 US residents. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first implementation of a fully pictorial-based BWS experiment. Relative preference among pictures of tomatoes in different retailing/production scenarios were analyzed and results between pictures that did and did not include descriptive words were compared. The experiment resulted in relative rankings that were statistically different between the BWS experiments. Further analysis evaluated word associations of respondents for the tomato pictures, establishing the foundation that, at least in one instance, lack of agreement existed regarding pictorial content. The potential for varying ranking of products or attributes when pictures versus text are used to convey related meaning/messaging has implications for the marketing and conveyance of product attributes.
... The most important traits of tomato quality include color and flavor (Rodriguez-Saona and Aykas, 2019). Tomatoes classified as red and dark red are positively evaluated and well accepted by consumers of fresh tomatoes (Oltman et al., 2014). Consumers equally value full flavored fruit and prefer them over less flavorful tomatoes when making buying decisions (Baldwin et al., 2000). ...
Improper postharvest handling often impairs horticultural quality even when damage is visually imperceptible. In this study, tomato fruit were subjected to controlled compressive forces (196.13 N) and the effects of this mechanical damage were evaluated. The following parameters were assessed: production of CO2, ethylene (C2H4), color, enzymatic activity (LOX, HPL and ADH) and volatile compounds. Ethylene production increased in tomatoes subjected to compression. Damaged tomatoes were unable to develop the typical red color when compared to the control fruit and showed a transient increase in the activity of the enzymes LOX, HPL and ADH. The imperceptible damage applied to tomatoes modified the profile of volatile compounds produced by the fruit, reducing the emission of compounds perceived as fruity and sweet.
... Several researchers reported the same trend that we observed in this study (Arias et al., 2000;Brandt et al., 2006;López-Camelo and Gómez, 2004). The firmness of fresh tomato fruit is a qualitative factor for buyers and consumers who decide to purchase these fruits (Causse et al., 2010;Oltman et al., 2014), and it is influenced by the skin strength and flesh firmness (Kader et al., 1978). The firmness generally decreases during fruit ripening due to polygalacturonase activity (Hobson, 1965). ...
Highlights
Human visual classification and predictive models often disagree when only color indices are used.
The degree of agreement is improved significantly when predictive models are cultivar-specific.
The degree of agreement can be improved when firmness and carotenoid contents are considered.
Abstract. Traditionally, the ripening stage of tomato fruit is determined by the observed percentage of red color on the fruit surface based on color charts provided by USDA standards. However, multiple observers can assign different ripening stages to the same tomato fruit due to subjectivity and/or inaccurate evaluations. This practical challenge has not been extensively discussed in the literature, so we assessed the degree of agreement between human visual classification and model-based prediction using physicochemical properties such as color (L*, a*, b*, hue, and chroma), firmness, and carotenoid contents. In our exploratory data analyses, we clearly observed increasing a* and decreasing L*, hue, and firmness with respect to ripening stage, but the rate of change seemed different from cultivar to cultivar. To assess the degree of agreement, cross-validations were used to compare thirty linear regression models with various combinations of the predictors. The cross-validations indicated that predictions from a cultivar-specific model agreed well with human visual classifications. When the cultivar-specific model was considered with the color indices, we achieved up to 95.5% accuracy. When firmness, lycopene, and ß-carotene were added to the model, the accuracy increased to 96.8%. These results suggest the reliability of non-destructive methods for auto-sorting systems. Keywords: ß-carotene, Color index, Firmness, Fruit color, Lycopene, Ripening, Tomato.
Tomatoes are a major crop worldwide, and accurately classifying their maturity is important for many agricultural applications, such as harvesting, grading, and quality control. In this paper, the authors propose a novel method for tomato maturity classification using a convolutional transformer. The convolutional transformer is a hybrid architecture that combines the strengths of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and transformers. Additionally, this study introduces a new tomato dataset named KUTomaData, explicitly designed to train deep-learning models for tomato segmentation and classification. KUTomaData is a compilation of images sourced from a greenhouse in the UAE, with approximately 700 images available for training and testing. The dataset is prepared under various lighting conditions and viewing perspectives and employs different mobile camera sensors, distinguishing it from existing datasets. The contributions of this paper are threefold: firstly, the authors propose a novel method for tomato maturity classification using a modular convolutional transformer. Secondly, the authors introduce a new tomato image dataset that contains images of tomatoes at different maturity levels. Lastly, the authors show that the convolutional transformer outperforms state-of-the-art methods for tomato maturity classification. The effectiveness of the proposed framework in handling cluttered and occluded tomato instances was evaluated using two additional public datasets, Laboro Tomato and Rob2Pheno Annotated Tomato, as benchmarks. The evaluation results across these three datasets demonstrate the exceptional performance of our proposed framework, surpassing the state-of-the-art by 58.14%, 65.42%, and 66.39% in terms of mean average precision scores for KUTomaData, Laboro Tomato, and Rob2Pheno Annotated Tomato, respectively. This work can potentially improve the efficiency and accuracy of tomato harvesting, grading, and quality control processes.
Tomatoes are a major crop worldwide, and accurately classifying their maturity is essential for many agricultural applications, such as harvesting, grading, and quality control. In this paper, the authors propose a novel method for tomato maturity classification using a convolutional transformer. Additionally, this study introduces a new tomato dataset named KUTomaData, explicitly designed to train deep-learning models for tomato segmentation and classification. KUTomaData is a compilation of images sourced from a greenhouse in the UAE, with approximately 1939 images available for training and testing. The dataset is prepared under various lighting conditions, viewing perspectives and employs different mobile camera sensors, thus distinguishing it from existing datasets.The contributions of this paper are threefold:Firstly, the authors propose a novel method for tomato maturity classification using a modular convolutional transformer. Secondly, the authors introduce a new tomato image dataset that contains images of tomatoes at different maturity levels. Lastly, the authors show that the convolutional transformer outperforms state-of-the-art methods for tomato maturity classification.The effectiveness of the proposed framework in handling cluttered and occluded tomato instances was evaluated using two additional public datasets, Laboro Tomato and Rob2Pheno Annotated Tomato, as benchmarks. The evaluation results across these three datasets demonstrate the exceptional performance of our proposed framework, surpassing the state-of-the-art by 58.14%, 65.42%, and 66.39% in terms of mean average precision scores for KUTomaData, Laboro Tomato, and Rob2Pheno Annotated Tomato, respectively.This work can improve tomato harvesting, grading, and quality control efficiency and accuracy.
Grape and cherry mini tomatoes have been conquering Brazilian consumers due to their sweet taste, practicality of consumption, and versatility in culinary use. Therefore, the present work aimed to characterize ten grape tomato hybrids based on genetic diversity and physical and biochemical traits to provide information for the development of new genotypes focused on the appearance and enrichment of nutritional factors. The evaluated hybrids were Aiko, BRSIG, BRS Zamir, Carolina, Dolcetto, Dulce, Guaraci, Santa West, SCI-023 and Sweet Heaven. The experiment was conducted in 2019 in a greenhouse at the State University of Londrina, using a completely randomized design with four replications and six plants in each replication. The plants were grown following the practices recommended for cultivating tomatoes. The physical and biochemical characterization data were subjected to analysis of variance by the F test (p<0.05) and Scott & Knott means cluster test (p<0.05), and the molecular characterization data were subjected to analysis of principal coordinates (PCoA) and Bayesian clustering. Aiko presented the highest fruit mass and size as opposed to that observed on SCI-023, while BRSIG was the firmest fruit with the largest pericarp thickness. SCI-023, Dolcetto, and Sweet Heaven had higher sugar content. The soluble solids content ranged from 6.04 to 9.66 °Brix among the genotypes. Hybrids SCI-023, BRSIG, Sweet Heaven, BRS Zamir, and Dulce had the highest antioxidant activity levels. In the phenotypic characterization two groups were formed. The genotypic characterization showed seven groups in which high genetic similarity was verified among BRS Zamir, SCI-023, and Guaraci, as well as between Carolina and Dulce. The greatest dissimilarity was observed between Sweet Heaven and BRSIG. Both characterizations were useful to evaluate the aptitude of these genotypes as outstanding genitors for breeding programs for the Brazilian market.
Keywords:
Solanum lycopersicum; horticulture; post-harvest; genetic diversity; functional food; mini vegetable
Neonicotinoids can control crop pests with high efficiency and low cost and have quickly swept one-fourth of the global insecticide market since the launch of imidacloprid in 1991. Imidacloprid and acetamiprid, the first generation of neonicotinoids, and dinotefuran, the representative of third generation of neonicotinoids, were applied on tomato plants individually to investigate neonicotinoid effects on tomato fruit quality, especially on appearance parameters, sugar, acid, and aroma compounds. Compared with the control, fewer differences in the transcriptome profile, sugar, acid, and volatile organic compound (VOC) contents, and sensory analysis results were shown in dinotefuran treatments than in the other two treatments. Therefore, dinotefuran was more recommended to control pests of tomatoes with less loss of fruit flavor and quality as well as lower ecological risks.
Italy is a recognized secondary center of diversification for cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The study of phenotypic and genetic diversity in landrace collections is important for germplasm conservation and valorization. Here, we set up to study the tomato germplasm collected in the region of Lazio in Central Italy, with a focus on the distinctiveness among landraces and the attribution of membership to unnamed accessions. Our regional collection included 32 accessions belonging to eight different locally recognized landraces and 19 unnamed accessions. All accessions were gathered from local farmers and are preserved in the collection held at the Regional Agency for the Development and the Innovation of Lazio Agriculture (ARSIAL) and at the University of Tuscia. We included 13 control genotypes comprising nine landraces from neighbor regions and four reference cultivars. The collection showed wide phenotypic variability for several qualitative and quantitative traits, such as leaf border and shape, inflorescence type, fruit shape, green shoulder, fruit weight (range 14–277 g), locule number (2–12), shape index (0.54–2.65), yield (0.24–3.08 kg/plant), and soluble solids (3.4–7.5°B). A few landraces showed uncommon phenotypes, such as potato leaf, colorless fruit epidermis, or delayed ripening. Multivariate analysis of 25 cardinal phenotypic variables separated the accessions into two distinct groups; accessions showing a flattened-ribbed fruit were distinguished from those with round to elongate fruits with smooth structure. Genotyping analysis of 7,720 SNPs was performed using the tomato array platform SolCAP, to point out the genetic relationship among the studied accessions. A neighbor-joining tree analysis allowed to confirm or deny phenotypic data and to assign some of the unnamed accessions to recognized groups. Allelic status at marker loci linked to resistance genes commonly used in breeding identified accessions putatively derived from modern material or commercial hybrids, thus not classifiable as landraces. Overall, this study provided the information useful to preserve, valorize, and juridically protect tomato local landraces from the Lazio region and will in addition be helpful to their improvement by breeding.
Sugars, acids and their interactions were important to sourness, sweetness, and overall flavor intensity in tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Fructose and citric acid were more important to sweetness and sourness than glucose and malic acid, respectively. The pH was a better objective measure of sourness than titratable acidity. An interaction between glucose and citric acid on sweetness was observed. Quantitative differences in 11 volatile compounds were found among the cultivars. Several of these volatiles were significantly related to variation in the flavor characteristics studied. Three compounds (peaks (20–21), 51, and 75) appeared to be more important to the “tomato-like” character.
Composition and sensory characteristics were investigated to determine the effect of ripeness at picking on fresh market flavor of ‘Cal Ace’ (1974, 1975, 1976) and ‘Cherry’, ‘Calmart’, and ‘Early Pak 7’ (1976) tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Tomatoes picked at earlier stages of ripeness and ripened at 20°C were evaluated by panelists as being less sweet, more sour, less “tomato-like” and having more “off-flavor” than those picked at the table-ripe stage. Objective tests showed these fruits had less sugars and reduced ascorbic acid, and varied significantly in volatile composition. The magnitude of these differences varied greatly among the cultivars. In ‘Cal Ace’ the “off-flavor” characteristic was largely correlated with a volatile compound (peak 43) but in other cultivars seven other volatile compounds also appeared to play a role.
A sensory profile was created for 8 fresh tomato cultivars (Cherry-Pachino, Lobato, Rita, Furora, Bravo, ES200, Cherry-Licatese, and Sardegna) and their relationship to consumer preference was evaluated. A panel of 11 trained judges was used to evaluate the sensory profile. Results were processed by Analysis of Variance. Mean scores of sensory attributes (red, green, colour uniformity, fruity aroma, acid, salty, sweet, astringent, fruity flavour, crispy, firm, thick-skinned, juicy and mealy) were then subjected to Principal Component Analysis. In order to.
The major components of flavor in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and other fruit are thought to be sugars, acids, and flavor volatiles. Tomato overall acceptability, tomato-like flavor, sweetness, and sourness for six to nine tomato cultivars were analyzed by experienced panels using a nine-point scale and by trained descriptive analysis panels using a 15-cm line scale for sweetness, sourness, three to five aroma and three to seven taste descriptors in three seasons. Relationships between sensory data and instrumental analyses, including flavor volatiles, soluble solids (SS), individual sugars converted to sucrose equivalents (SE), titratable acidity (TA), pH, SS/TA, and SE/TA, were established using correlation and multiple linear regression. For instrumental data, SS/TA, SE/TA, TA, and cis-3-hexenol correlated with overall acceptability (P = 0.05); SE, SE/TA (P ≤ 0.03), geranylacetone, 2+3-methylbutanol and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (P = 0.11) with tomato-like flavor; SE, pH, cis-3-hexenal, trans-2-hexenal, hexanal, cis-3-hexenol, geranylacetone, 2+3-methylbutanol, trans-2 heptenal, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, and 1-nitro-2-phenylethane (P ≤ 0.11) with sweetness; and SS, pH, acetaldehyde, acetone, 2-isobutylthiazole, geranlyacetone, β-ionone, ethanol, hexanal and cis-3-hexenal with sourness (P ≤ 0.15) for experienced or trained panel data. Measurements for SS/TA correlated with overall taste (P = 0.09) and SS with astringency, bitter aftertaste, and saltiness (P ≤ 0.07) for trained panel data. In addition to the above mentioned flavor volatiles, methanol and 1-penten-3-one significantly affected sensory responses (P = 0.13) for certain aroma descriptors. Levels of aroma compounds affected perception of sweetness and sourness and measurements of SS showed a closer relationship to sourness, astringency, and bitterness than to sweetness.
Flat-plate compression, constant area compression, and puncture tests were examined for their sensitivity in differentiating the firmness of previously chilled (6C, 85% RH, 15 days) and nonchilled mature-green tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill CV. Caruso) fruit during 10 days of ripening at 22C. Firmness, as measured by each of the three methods, progressively decreased (P < 0.001) with ripening. Previously chilled tomatoes were initially softer (P < 0.01) than nonchilled tomatoes, as measured by puncture of whole fruit and constant area compression of pericarp tissue sections, but not by flat-plate compression of whole fruit. Flat-plate compression was therefore found to be a relatively insensitive method by which to measure differences in tomato firmness that are characteristic of slightly chilling-injured fruit.
In order to analyze the genetic control of fresh-market tomato quality, the genetic variation of quality attributes was analyzed in 45 hybrids and their 13 parental lines, grown in 2 contrasted environments. Fruit quality was assessed by physical measurements, fruit composition, and sensory analyses (descriptive analysis by a trained panel and hedonic tests by randomly chosen consumers). Most of the physicochemical traits, flavor attributes, and firm texture showed a simple additive inheritance on the contrary to the aroma and other texture traits. Specific networks of relationships among traits were shown in hybrids. Consumers perceived significant differences among hybrids and seemed to particularly appreciate the hybrids among old and modern lines.
Incorporating the `voice of the consumer' in early stages of the new product development process has been identified as a critical success factor for new product development. Yet, this step is often ignored or poorly executed. This may be due to lack of familiarity on which methods are available, the use of disciplinary terminology, and difficulty in accessibility of papers on this subject. This paper reviews and categorises 10 of the most common methods in this area, in terms of what their key features are, and what strengths, weaknesses and appropriateness are. We develop a classification scheme based on three performance dimensions with specific criteria: (1) stimuli used as cue for need elicitation, (2) task format, and (3) need actionability. We provide guidelines for the appropriateness of these methods in the new product development process based on the newness strategy of the development process (radical versus incremental innovation) and identify which functional department (marketing versus R&D) the method should primarily support
Tomato texture is one of the critical components for the consumer's perception of fruit quality. Texture is a complex character composed of several attributes that are difficult to evaluate and which change during fruit ripening. This study investigated the texture of tomato fruits at the rheological, sensory, morphological, and genetic levels, and attempted to correlate several parameters. Analyses were performed on tomato fruits from introgressed lines carrying quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with texture traits localized on different chromosomes, in two genetic backgrounds. Rheological measurements were used to determine resistance to deformation and fruit elasticity. Sensory analysis was used to assess flesh firmness, juiciness, mealiness, and skin toughness. Image analysis was used to study fruit morphology and to define the cellular structure and heterogeneity of the pericarp. A highly significant correlation was observed between instrumental and sensory firmness. Moreover, correlations were also established between some texture traits and parameters of the pericarp cellular structure. Compared with QTLs detected in a previous study, the phenotypic effects expected for mealiness were confirmed in all lines, whereas, for firmness, they were not confirmed. Significant interactions between QTL and genetic background were observed for several traits. In addition, kinetic analysis showed that differences in firmness occurred from the early stages of fruit development. These results provide both a broad description of texture components and preliminary information to understand their genetic control.
Adaptive choice‐based conjoint ( ACBC ) analysis is a technique that uses choice data and incorporates it into an adaptive interviewing experience. ACBC analysis has been suggested to provide more accurate information at the individual level, which can lead to better predictions even when using smaller sample sizes. A comparison of a traditional choice‐based conjoint ( CBC ) survey and an ACBC survey was undertaken to compare the overall utility scores and importance values of attributes determined by both techniques using sour cream as the subject. A CBC and an ACBC survey were conducted. More respondents participated in the CBC ( n = 777) survey than in the ACBC version ( n = 250). Respondents to the ACBC version were from the same pool of respondents to the CBC version. A random sample of 250 respondents from the CBC survey was also analyzed. Results were analyzed by overall utility scores, importance values, landscape segmentation analysis and cluster analysis via latent class. The ACBC and CBC results were similar in overall utility scores for all attributes with similar respondent clusters. Both techniques revealed fat content as the most important attribute, followed by price and followed by brand. The CBC result for 250 respondents overestimated the importance of brand. The ACBC utility scores were not as distinct as CBC results in all categories; however, the direction of the mean utility scores was the same in all categories. Overall, ACBC and CBC revealed similar outcomes for different sour cream product types when price was excluded; however, the CBC results differentiated products to a greater extent than ACBC with the same sample size considered.
Practical Applications
Conjoint analysis is a research technique widely utilized across multiple industries as a way of determining the utility of a product or a product feature. Adaptive choice‐based conjoint ( ACBC ) is a new form of conjoint analysis. Because of the format of ACBC studies, respondents may be more engaged in the survey‐taking experience and provide answers that are more in‐line with their actual choice behavior. Because of this, ACBC studies may reveal more accurate responses for specific attributes such as brand and/or price. ACBC studies may also require fewer respondents, which is advantageous when the audience is highly selective, or if money and/or time is a concern.
Chocolate milk varies widely in flavor, color, and viscosity, and liking is influenced by these properties. Additionally, package labels (declared fat content) and brand are some of the extrinsic factors that may influence consumer perception. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of packaging labels and brand name on consumer liking and purchase intent of chocolate milk. A consumer acceptance test, conjoint analysis survey, and Kano analysis were conducted. One hundred-eight consumers evaluated 7 chocolate milks with and without brand or package information in a 2-d crossover design. A conjoint analysis survey and Kano analysis were conducted after the consumer acceptance test. Results were evaluated by 2-way ANOVA and multivariate analyses. Declared fat content and brand influenced overall liking and purchase intent for chocolate milks to differing degrees (P < 0.05). A subsequent conjoint analysis (n = 250) revealed that fat content was a driver of choice for purchasing chocolate milk followed by sugar content and brand. Brand name was less important for purchase intent of chocolate milk than fat or sugar content. Among fat content of chocolate milk, 2 and 1% fat level were most appealing to consumers, and reduced sugar and regular sugar were equally important for purchase intent. Kano analysis confirmed that fat content (whole milk, 1, or 2% fat chocolate milk) was an attractive attribute for consumer satisfaction, more so than brand. Organic labeling did not affect the purchase decision of chocolate milk; however, Kano results revealed that having an organic label on a package positively influenced consumer satisfaction. Findings from this study can help chocolate milk producers as well as food marketers better target their product labels with attributes that drive consumer choice of chocolate milk.
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a quantitative decision approach to the service quality management, developed on the basis of Kano's theory of attractive quality. The proposed approach aims at exploiting contacts with service made by “mystery guests” rather than traditional surveys on customer opinions.
Design/methodology/approach
A specific probabilistic model of the process of serving quality is the adopted basic tool. Multiple comparison tests aimed at controlling the service quality are the core of the proposed decision approach. In order to collect the needed sampling data, a few mystery guests who experience many customer‐service contacts are employed.
Findings
A quantitative decision methodology which both allows one to evaluate the actual service quality level and provides, via comparison tests, a tool to highlight the weak and strong points of the service delivery process.
Originality/value
The proposed quality map is an original graphical tool, which enables one to pin‐point strengths and failings in service quality, prioritize corrective actions and recognize improvements, if any. The operative value of the whole methodology is tested through a real application to the hotel service industry.
Ginseng food products in the U.S.A. have mostly been limited to beverages despite the growth of functional foods market. The objectives of the study were to: (1) probe consumer attitudes and expectations of ginseng food products in the U.S.A., and (2) identify ginseng food product concept(s) that possess market potential in the U.S.A. Focus group panel (n = 14) experienced limited types of ginseng food products from the Asian market and suggested that new ginseng food products be developed on the basis of preexisting product types in the U.S.A. Conjoint analysis (n = 400) was performed with four categories and five elements from each category, which were generated based on findings from preceding focus groups. Participants had a low level of initial interest in ginseng food products. “Sweetness” and “ginseng chocolate” had the highest utility values. Findings suggested that the original ginseng flavors, including bitterness and earthiness, be minimized in order to establish potential for success in the U.S. market.
This present work demonstrates consumers' insights and expectations of ginseng food products as well as ginseng food product concepts that drive consumers' interests, which have not been extensively researched in the U.S.A. Moreover, findings from the study demonstrate U.S. consumers' knowledge and insights of ginseng and its health effects. These will help food manufacturers understand the consumers who are latent in purchasing ginseng food products in the market and develop ginseng food products that will ensure their success in the U.S. market. Segmentation of consumers based on the pattern of their responses to the concept elements will be beneficial for food-marketing experts to establish marketing strategies. New ginseng food products where the findings from the study are applied are expected to increase consumers' intent to purchase the products, which have been known as containing numerous bioactive compounds.
The objective of this study was to quantitatively assess the consumer perception of fat reduction in cheese. Choice‐based conjoint analysis surveys for Cheddar and mozzarella cheeses ( n = 179 and 171 consumers, respectively) were developed using results from focus groups conducted with users and nonusers of lower fat cheeses. Factors investigated were fat content, flavor, texture and price of cheese. Relative importance of product attributes was determined through a realistic trade‐off scenario. Consumer acceptance testing ( n = 101) was then conducted on Cheddar and mozzarella cheeses with varying levels of fat reduction. Conjoint analysis results suggested that a 2% milk Cheddar cheese would be most appealing among fat reduced Cheddar cheeses and that a part‐skim mozzarella would be more appealing than a fat‐free mozzarella, and these results were confirmed by consumer acceptance testing. These results confirm that most consumers are not willing to sacrifice flavor or texture for fat reduction in cheeses. Significant changes in flavor and texture are needed for a low‐fat Cheddar cheese to have widespread consumer appeal.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
This study found that most consumers are not accepting of lower fat Cheddar or mozzarella cheeses when their flavor and texture are different from the full‐fat version of the cheese, even if those differences are small. These results are in contrast to the rise in obesity in the United States, consumer interest in fat‐reduced foods and industry and government interest in offering sensible lower fat versions of foods. For a true low‐fat version of Cheddar cheese to have widespread consumer appeal, significant changes in flavor and texture are required. These results will help cheese manufacturers understand what changes need to be made in order to successfully develop a lower fat cheese that will appeal to consumers. In addition, if manufacturers are able to provide this product, consumers will be able to purchase and consume a lower fat cheese that they enjoy and feel good about eating.
Quality comparisons were made on mature green and firm red tomato fruits of three cultivars harvested at different times throughout the season. Fruits were harvested at the mature green stage and ripened at 20° C in humidified air for the room ripened treatment. Quality measurements included reduced ascorbic acid content, locular material content, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids content, soluble solids-acidity ratio and moisture content. Field ripened fruits had greater ascorbic acid contents relative to room ripened fruits, but variations occurred with harvest time. Field ripened fruits were judged as better in overall quality and flavor relative to room ripened fruits. Correlations were made between quality measurements and sensory evaluations.
A multiple regression model was developed to predict the acceptability of the four tomato varieties studied (Aranka, Cherry, Beef and Pitenza). Agglomerative hierarchical clustering showed the presence of four consumer clusters. One cluster preferred small tomatoes (Aranka and Cherry) and another cluster the larger tomatoes (Beef and Pitenza). In the sensorial analysis Aranka was the preferred variety, scoring more highly in taste, odour, acidity, sweetness and hardness. In the physicochemical analysis Aranka also obtained the highest values for titratable acidity (TA) and sugars (SSC), confirming that these parameters are important in tomato flavour. Lower values for both sets of parameters were reflected by lower consumer acceptability, with Beef and Pitenza receiving the lowest score for these flavours attributes (except odour). A significant correlation between the sensorial and physicochemical parameters was also observed: odour was positively correlated with calibre, while taste, acidity, hardness and acceptability were negatively correlated with calibre, pH and SSC/TA and positively correlated with SSC and TA. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
Consumers are increasing their produce consumption; however, complaints of inconsistent produce quality and improper consumer handling practices could reduce consumer satisfaction with and demand for specific produce items. Seventy to eighty percent of consumers buy cantaloupes, peaches, pears, strawberries and tomatoes at the supermarket; only about half buy apricots at the supermarket. Apricots are not purchased at any location by almost 30% of consumers. Satisfaction with quality is highest for cantaloupes, lowest for tomatoes and apricots. Consumer complaints center around flavor and textural changes which develop in ripening. Both consumer handling practices and fresh product quality contribute to dissatisfaction.
A lexicon for describing the sensory flavor and texture characteristics of fresh and processed tomatoes was developed. A six‐member highly trained, descriptive sensory panel identified, defined and referenced 33 sensory attributes for fresh and processed tomatoes. Forty products including a variety of raw, canned, concentrated and dried tomatoes, as well as tomato‐based products including ketchup and simple pasta sauce, were evaluated in the study. These products represented a wide range of sensory characteristics in raw and processed tomatoes. The lexicon established included 5 aroma attributes, 10 texture attributes and 18 flavor attributes including 6 taste and mouthfeel attributes. The lexicon provides attribute descriptors, definitions and references that often are lacking in previous literature. Reducing the number of attributes may be appropriate when testing specific tomato products.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Increased consumption of tomato products has expanded interest in improving the sensory characteristics of tomatoes and subsequent products. This research provides a list of sensory flavor and texture terms that can be used to describe the sensory characteristics of both fresh and processed tomatoes. This information will help researchers, breeders and processors better understand the flavor and texture properties of fresh and processed tomatoes, and the tomato characteristics of tomato products. Taste attributes, often used in previous literature, are important but are not enough to describe the characteristics of tomatoes. In addition to flavor attributes, aroma and texture properties are important for describing tomato characteristics but have not been thoroughly established in previous research.
This article chapter provides an up-to-date review of methods that have come to be called conjoint analysis. These methods enable marketing researchers to determine trade-offs among attributes of a new product based on responses of stated preferences and stated choices. These trade-offs can assist in product design, pricing, market segmentation, and similar marketing decisions. There are essentially four types of conjoint analysis; these are traditional conjoint analysis that uses stated preferences, choice-based conjoint analysis (CBCA) that uses stated choices, self-explicated conjoint analysis that uses direct elicitation of attribute importances and ratings on attribute levels, and adaptive conjoint analysis (ACA) which involves a staged and adaptive data collection. Over several thousand conjoint studies were conducted since the introduction of this method in the early 1970s. The chapterarticle also covers significant advances in estimation methods and design of stimuli (profiles and choice sets) over these years. Essentially, this methodology is alive and thriving well.
Twelve tomato selections were evaluated for their flavor components using sensory and chemical/instrumental measurements. Regression analysis was performed to develop prediction models for the sensory descriptors. Significant prediction models were obtained for most descriptors. Both volatile and nonvolatile flavor components influenced the aromatic descriptors, but the volatile components provided more consistent relationships. Sucrose equivalents provided more significant correlations with descriptors than did soluble solids. Tomatoes described as full flavored by the breeder were characterized by higher sugars, soluble solids, aromatic volatile compounds, and lower amounts of organic acids than those considered to be of poorer flavor by the breeder. These data provide quantitative linkages of aromatic volatile compounds, sugars, and acids with specific flavor notes.
Two commercial samples were evaluated in five focus group sessions to determine the reliability of the focus group technique in identifying the desirable and important sensory characteristics of dry and cooked mungbean noodles and to determine its quality characteristics. Each focus group consistently identified a similar list of desirable and undesirable characteristics. These results indicated that the focus group technique was a reliable method for determining consumer criteria for quality for mungbean noodles. When there is a need to determine consumers’ definition of product quality at a stage when consumer testing is not desired, the focus group technique can be used as a valuable tool. Mungbean noodle quality was found to have two distinct aspects: appearance of the dry noodles and eating quality of the cooked noodles. Color, glossiness, and transparency are the most important characteristics of dry starch noodles while mouthfeel or texture is considered the most important characteristic of cooked starch noodles. Color, taste, and odor of the cooked noodles were considered not as important.
A conjoint analytic study was conducted with military and civilian consumers to assess the importance of taste and other product characteristics to the intended use of nutraceutical products. Taste was found to be the most important factor for both consumer groups, followed by the benefit to be achieved, the source of the benefit claim, required dosage, mode of consumption, and product type (natural compared with synthetic). Interest among the military was greatest for products that increased muscle mass, whereas interest among civilians was greatest for products that improved thinking. For both groups, required frequency of consumption greater than 3 times a day had a negative influence on probable use, whereas consumption in a capsule form was viewed most desirable.
Advanced high sugar and acid breeding lines of tomatoes (Lycopersion esculentum
Mill.) were rated higher in sweetness, sourness and overall flavor intensity than the standard cultivars Cal Ace or T3. Titratable acidity and soluble solids content were major contributors to differences in overall flavor intensity. The results demonstrate that significant improvement in tomato flavor can be attained by increasing sugar and acid contents in tomato fruits by genetic manipulation. Current evidence indicates that breeding for high soluble solids in horticulturally acceptable tomato cultivars is justified.
Realizing that texture is a sensory property gives proper orientation to facets of texture research. Following the breakthrough in the 1960s and 1970s in surfacing the multi-parameter nature of texture and in defining the general principles of texture acceptability, the field has essentially reverted to commodity work. This paper reviews briefly the state of knowledge and points out specific research areas that could constitute new significant breakthroughs. These include defining the components of complex textural characteristics, developing an understanding of the perceptual interplay among texture parameters and between textural and other (e.g. visual clues, taste) modalities, exploring the breakdown pathways in the mouth for various food categories, and repeating earlier studies on consumer attitudes and preferences in the context of 21st century cultures and lifestyles.
Incorporating the `voice of the consumer' in early stages of the new product development process has been identified as a critical success factor for new product development. Yet, this step is often ignored or poorly executed. This may be due to lack of familiarity on which methods are available, the use of disciplinary terminology, and difficulty in accessibility of papers on this subject. This paper reviews and categorises 10 of the most common methods in this area, in terms of what their key features are, and what strengths, weaknesses and appropriateness are. We develop a classification scheme based on three performance dimensions with specific criteria: (1) stimuli used as cue for need elicitation, (2) task format, and (3) need actionability. We provide guidelines for the appropriateness of these methods in the new product development process based on the newness strategy of the development process (radical versus incremental innovation) and identify which functional department (marketing versus R&D) the method should primarily support.
‘Pajaro’ strawberry (Frageria x ananassa Duch.) fruit were exposed to 5–40% CO2 for 0–3 days, followed by normal cold storage at 0°C for up to 3 weeks. Strawberry fruit were firmer in air storage at 0°C than at harvest. Firmness was further enhanced by CO2 treatments. Adhesion between cells was measured by the application of tensile tests to plugs of tissue, followed by the examination of fracture surfaces using low temperature scanning electron microscopy. These tests indicated that cell-to-cell adhesion increased by 60% as a result of CO2 treatments. However, there were no differences in the density, electrolyte leakage, propensity for cells to rupture in hypertonic solutions, water potential, osmotic potential or turgor of CO2-treated and control fruit. Electrical impedance spectroscopy was used to assess changes in the electrical resistance of the apoplast and symplast. Carbon dioxide treatments reduced the resistance of the apoplast (resistance at 50 Hz) below that of control fruit, but did not affect the resistance of the symplast (resistance at 1 MHz). This result suggests that concentrations of H+ and HCO3− increased in the apoplast, although no change was detected in the symplast. We speculate that the mechanism for CO2-induced firmness enhancement in strawberry is due to changes in the pH of the apoplast. Such changes in pH may promote the precipitation of soluble pectins and thus enhance cell-to-cell bonding in strawberry fruit.
With the Total Food Quality Model as point of departure, a study is described which analyses how consumers evaluate the quality of beef in a purchase situation in four European countries: France, Germany, Spain and the UK. The study consisted of a series of focus groups and of an extended form of conjoint analysis which allows an estimation of meansend structures. Tradition and security, variation, atmosphere and social life, health, acceptance from family/children/ guests, nutrition, demonstration of cooking abilities, and status are the most important purchasing motives in all four countries. The most important quality aspects of beef are that it tastes good, is tender, juicy, fresh, lean, healthy and nutritious. Purchasing motives as well as quality aspects are uni-dimensional in Germany, Spain, and the UK, while they are multi-dimensional in France. Place of purchase and quality perception are related in all four countries, i.e. the butcher is regarded as a sort of guarantor of high quality. This applies less in the UK than in the other countries, however. The most important concrete product characteristics which consumers base their quality evaluation on are fat content and colour. Fat is generally negative, and this applies to all aspects of fat. The positive effects of fat on taste and tenderness are not perceived. German consumers prefer dark meat, whereas Spanish consumers tend to prefer light meat. Information about country of origin and breeding and feeding has no effect on quality perception. The results suggest that producers of superior beef have a problem in communicating this quality to consumers, and that a quality grading system developed in co-operation between producer and retailer may be the best way to overcome consumer uncertainty in evaluating the quality of beef.
Purchase intention and ‘willingness to pay more’ for a relatively new spreading fat with a proven health benefit were compared with those of an established spread by a panel of consumers (n=70). Unlabelled assessment showed that the two spreads differed significantly in liking for taste, in-mouth texture and overall liking. Label information (identity, price and nutritional benefit) had a significant effect on intention to buy, especially when combined within higher liking. Main reasons for ‘buying’ and ‘not buying’ the spread with the proven health benefit were ‘healthy’ and ‘high price’, respectively. Consumers were willing to pay more for the new spread but at a level below its current retail price, although this was significantly higher when combined with higher liking. Gender, age, health concern and nutritional knowledge had mostly interactive effects on purchase intent, with females, older subjects and those with high health concern having higher purchase intent for the proven health benefit label. ‘Willingness to pay more’ level was also higher for these sub-groups and for those with higher nutritional knowledge, but effect sizes were less than those due to differences in liking.
The effects of adding sugar and acid to fresh tomatoes on the response by descriptive and consumer panels were studied. ‘Duke’ tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were diced and mixed with reducing sugars (fructose/glucose, 14:11) and citric acid at levels of 0, 1.4, or 2.8% that of the total mixture weight for the sugars and 0, 0.3, or 0.6% for the acid. Descriptive analysis was used to evaluate tomato samples according to the flavor terms sweet, sour, and fresh tomato impact using 150-mm unstructured line scales. Consumer tests were conducted to rate flavor acceptability of diced tomatoes. Regression analysis indicated that a second-order polynomial predicted the response of consumer flavor acceptability to sugar and acid levels. Increasing total sugar and acid levels did not affect fresh tomato impact but did significantly affect flavor acceptability. Maximum levels of acid were reached above which further increases negatively affected consumer acceptability.