Few studies have investigated sensory quality in multi-varietal fruit brands due to challenges in making comparisons between varieties harvested sequentially throughout the season. Sensory data are collected in crisp form and analysed using a great amount of numerical data. However, human perception is vague and an assessor's opinion comes in linguistic form. The purpose was to assess the sensory quality of branded apricot using a novel statistical approach. Physicochemical and sensory attributes were determined for two consecutive commercial seasons. Univariate and multivariate models were applied in order to assess quality stability and to create a prediction model. The brand was affected by the presence of different cultivars and the multiple factor analysis demonstrated aroma and juiciness as the most differentiated parameters, while univariate analysis highlighted hardness and mealiness. Use of expert knowledge mixed with information from sample data enabled the development of a fuzzy model. Investigation with consumer test is needed.Novedoso enfoque estadístico para evaluar la calidad y la viabilidad comercial de una fruta perecedera de marca minorista RESUMEN Pocos estudios han investigado la calidad sensorial en marcas de frutas de múltiples variedades debido a las dificultades para realizar comparaciones entre variedades cosechadas de forma secuencial a lo largo de una temporada. Generalmente, los datos sensoriales se recopilan de forma precisa y se analizan utilizando una gran cantidad de datos numéricos. Sin embargo, la percepción humana suele ser vaga y la opinión del evaluador se presenta en forma lingüística. El propósito del presente estudio fue evaluar la calidad sensorial del albaricoque [durazno] de marca empleando un enfoque estadístico novedoso. Así, durante dos temporadas comerciales consecutivas se determinaron los atributos fisicoquímicos y sensoriales de los albaricoques. Para ello se aplicaron modelos univariados y multivariados con el fin de evaluar la estabilidad de la calidad y crear un modelo de predicción. Se constató que la marca se vio afectada por el uso de diferentes cultivares; en este sentido el análisis factorial múltiple demostró que el aroma y la jugosidad son los parámetros de la fruta que más se diferencian, mientras que el análisis univariado destacó la dureza y la consistencia harinosa de la fruta. El uso de conocimiento experto combinado con la información proveniente de los datos de muestra permitió desarrollar un modelo difuso. Es necesario realizar investigaciones que incluyan pruebas entre consumidores.

Single-cultivar juices may be a valuable way to introduce different versions of a product to the market and obtain price discrimination. To communicate a product’s value, complex characteristics incorporated by each cultivar must be identified. New sensory methods rely on the assessor’s ability to recall attributes; however, the use of objective vocabularies may improve the sensory profiling. This work aimed to profile monovarietal apple juices by using projective mapping (PM) combined with ultra-flash profiling (UFP) supported by a sensory wheel built with a text-mining tool. Samples were also analyzed for physicochemical parameters to provide more information to the assessment. The assessor coordinates from PM were used in multiple factor analysis with confidence ellipses to assess differences among samples. A goodness-of-fit test was applied to select the most meaningful descriptors generated through the UFP test by calculating the expected frequency of choosing a descriptor from the sensory wheel and comparing it with the observed values. The methodology provided a more accurate sensory profile compared to previous research on fresh apples and juices. Elstar, Jonagold, and Pinova were considered as sweet juices, and Gravensteiner was described as sour and astringent, with green-apple notes. Rubinette was described as having a strong taste and cloudy aspect.

Harvesting quality is a latent concept that is often summarised by several attributes, which in turn may be described as complex parameters due to their multicomponent structure. Multivariate techniques such as Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA) and Partial least square (PLS) analysis represent suitable tools to investigate quality indices as they are able to compute systems of composite indicators, providing more accurate knowledge than a single attribute. Therefore, the goals of this work are: to describe the evolution of different quality parameters during the harvesting period of new cv Tahi and cv Rua and to analyse their correlations in order to create a model that will highlight new potential harvesting and maturity quality indicators. This will provide knowledge for development of a harvesting index of A. arguta fruit, for which the harvest period is still determined by traditional quality traits. Data from physicochemical, colorimetric and nutraceutical assays were analysed with ANOVA and MFA and fused in a PLS model. We created a PLS model with an R 2 value of 0.83 for cv Rua and of 0.44 for cv Tahi. Our results suggest that composite colorimetric parameters may enhance the sensitivity of Hue changes during the harvesting period and are less cultivar-specific than nutraceutical ones. It is suggested that this methodology is applied to larger sample sizes in order to extend the results to the population. Further studies should pay more attention to the use of colorimetric indices and their combination.

Attribute's perception and impact on liking are crucial in quality assessments. An approach with analytical and sensory methods is often necessary to ensure a reliable description of quality perception without neglecting product's characterization. Moreover, the presence of nonlinear patterns demands appropriate models. A methodology is proposed to assess quality and attributes of apples cultivated at different orchard's elevation. Physicochemical, sensory and consumer tests with check-all-that-apply and penalty analysis were performed. A non-metric partial least square model (NM-PLS) was applied with a new coding system. The methodology highlighted similar results at all assessments for taste, with no significant differences among samples. Texture was evaluated different among assessments. Differences were found for hardness and astringency only at the panel level, while there was an agreement considering crispness, better described by the analytical index "average drop." The NM-PLS model confirmed sweet, intense odor and the latent attribute "notes" as the most related to liking. The methodology confirmed that differences found among trained panelists my not be relevant for consumers, therefore, an integrated approach is needed. It shows a new system to create a regression model that provides information at a specific and a global attribute level to deal with multicomponent parameters. Practical ApplicationsThis work describes a new consumer test methodology to investigate attributes perception and product penalties, therefore, it can be used by industries and researchers to have a deeper understanding of quality and liking of new products. It also highlights advantages and drawbacks of different quality assessment types and suggests an integrated approach is key to assess quality, consumer liking and attribute's perception. Finally, it proposes a new index to investigate crispiness. | INTRODUCTIONThe investigation of an attribute's perception and its impact on liking of fruit products is a main step in most of the quality assessments performed in the research and industrial fields. When a quality assessment is performed to obtain a deeper understanding between the quality profile (represented by attributes) and liking, the use of a consumer driven approach is an essential step to obtain more reliable

Background Marketing strategies, such as branding, redefine how consumers perceive quality and create new requirements related to season length and quality homogeneity, among others. For short-day (SD) strawberry cultivar brands, the commercial season is short due to a dependency on temperature and photoperiod. A plausible strategy to extend the commercialization period is to use different varieties within a single brand; however, this has led to inconsistent quality in other fruit crops. A form of quality assessment to evaluate the impact of a multi-varietal brand on sensory quality is a critical longitudinal study with several sources of variability, such as the inherent variation among assessors and fruit replicates that can affect the reliability of the results. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a methodology to assess the sensorial and physicochemical quality of strawberry brands in two contexts: a short-term season composed of two SD cultivars and a long-term season with one SD and one day-neutral (DN) cultivar. Results New statistical models are proposed in this study. An ANOVA mixed model with assessors and replicates as random terms and a multiple factor analysis highlighted a lack of homogeneity with regard to texture parameters and sourness, while partial least square models identified aroma and sweetness as the best quality indicators. Conclusions This work has successfully illustrated a methodology that is capable of handling critical aspects of longitudinal studies by using univariate models that account for different sources of variability and constrained multivariate models to relate parameters with overall liking. A long-term brand is a viable solution to valorise strawberries, as parameter heterogeneity did not affect overall quality.

The Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA) was applied to assess deterioration patterns and evaluate quality stability of bananas samples with 5 different origins. Quality evaluation (weight loss, dry matter, colour, total soluble solids, texture and nutraceutical analysis) was conducted at 21°C for up to 12 days of storage time. Ecuador samples retained a better colour and firmer texture during shelf life while Cameroon samples demonstrated very poor quality for almost all quality indicators. Although MFA showed a similar shelf life pattern for all banana samples, it was possible to observe a greater quality retention of Ecuador samples, represented by higher score values at dimension 1 than other samples. Even though there were significant differences of nutraceutical values during shelf life, the MFA contribution plot demonstrated that nutraceutical quality was not a good indicator of deterioration among the samples, especially with texture and colour parameters.

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Actinidia arguta fruits (baby kiwi) have recently been introduced and marketed in Italy under the Nergi® brand. The freshness of fruits and the maintenance of their quality after the harvest time influence the perception of taste and the sensory attributes for final acceptance by the consumer. In this work, we propose to use recently introduced sensory methods to create a sensory vocabulary not yet available for the two varieties covered by the brand: cv. Hortgem Rua® and cv. Hortgem Tahi®. The check-all-that-apply (CATA) method was performed with 15 trained tasters of Sata s.r.l. company (Alessandria, Italy) and a set of attributes were defined through a focus group (recruited at DISAFA, University of Turin) with habitual fruit consumers. The results obtained by CATA identified different profiles for the two varieties marketed under the brand, offering the opportunity to better position and communicate the taste characteristics of the product to the consumer.