Developing a quantitative method to evaluate peach (Prunus persica) flesh mealiness

A quantitative method to measure peach flesh mealiness based on free juice was developed. Free juice was measured by subjecting fruit tissue to a pressing force of 667 N for 1 min before centrifugation. After this extraction, the juice was collected and centrifuged at 6000g for 10 min. The supernatant was weighed and used to represent the free juice from the total initial tissue. The percentage of free juice was more sensitive and it had a higher correlation to mealiness measured visually and by a trained panel than the extractable juice method. Our work also demonstrated that trained judges were able to perceive mealiness earlier than visual mealiness symptoms were expressed. This free juice measurement provides an objective and accurate method to evaluate mealiness potential of stone fruit breeding lines and fruit biochemical and/or physiological changes during postharvest storage. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.