Relationships between perceived sensory properties and major preference directions of 12 varieties of apples from the southern hemisphere

The previous research on sensory evaluation of apples is reviewed and a comprehensive descriptive sensory profile of 12 Southern Hemisphere varieties has been developed. A comparison of sensory evaluation of unpeeled halves with Peeled quarters revealed a noticeable difference only for the lop Red variety. It is not clear whether this was due to the sensory properties of the skin or the sensory panelists' expectations after viewing the skin. However it does appear that very small quantities of experimental material could be used to give breeders a good definition of the sensory profile. Hedonic evaluation by 60 consumers of the same varieties peeled and unpeeled in a hall test revealed the same overall structure at the most Preferred end of the scale but a number of differences at the lower end. Peeling reduced liking for Splendour and Fiesta and increased liking for Top Red. Internal Preference Mapping indicated four dimensions of preference with the most important dimension highly correlated with texture attributes. Segmentation of consumers appeared to be according to whether a sweet, hard apple or a juicy, acidic apple was preferred. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.