Influence of quality attributes of early, intermediate and late peach varieties on suitability for fresh-convenience products

Abstract

Fresh convenience products represent a category of minimally processed fruit and vegetables (chunks, mousse, smoothies) that respond to the changes in consumer attitudes. Thanks to the image of convenience (time-saving, snack sizes, no waste, smart packaging) and healthiness their sales are steadily increasing. In this study 26 varieties (including peach, nectarines, and clingstone peaches) from Apulian production were divided into three groups according to harvest dates in early (A), middle (B) and late (C) maturing. Physical, chemical and sensorial analyses were performed in order to select high quality fruits for minimal processing according to the harvesting season. A multivariate Principal Component Analysis was applied to discriminate different varieties for quality attributes. Within Group A, ‘Honey Kist’ showed the lowest acidity and intermediate susceptibility to mechanical damage. For Group B, ‘Stark Red Gold’, ‘Zee Glo’ and ‘Venus’ resulted different in sensorial evaluation, while ‘Loadel’ and ‘Eolia’ were more susceptible to browning. For Group C, ‘Tardi Belle’ and ‘Baby Gold7’, although more sensitive to mechanical damage, were differentiated for flavor. Results of this work confirm the extreme variability among varieties in terms of sensorial quality, susceptibility to browning and to mechanical damage, and the importance of assessing varietal screening for selection of most suitable varieties for minimal processing.