Setting and meeting objective standards for eating quality in fresh fruit

Quality has many meanings - for this exercise it is defined in terms of objective measures that relate to the consumers experience of eating quality. The drivers behind the consumers experience of eating quality (e.g. taste, texture, smell), and the major assessable parameters relating to this experience (e.g. sugar content, acid content, dry matter content, juiciness, texture, firmness and volatiles content) are briefly reviewed, and existing (research literature, government bodies and retailer) standards on these parameters summarised. Achieving these standards has traditionally involved destructive testing of a relatively small proportion of the fruit harvested, and, as such, these standards have generally been poorly implemented. The applicability of new non-invasive technologies, such as near infrared spectroscopy, for assessment of every item of fruit for certian attributes is discussed with reference to existing standards. The uptake of these technologies will be discussed with reference to drivers in the supply chain, with examples given of successes and failures.