Carbohydrate Composition and Sensory Quality of Fresh and Stored Sweet Corn

Abstract

Abstract Sweet corn (Zea mays L.) was evaluated for sensory quality and carbohydrate composition at harvest and after storage at 0° or 10°C for 2 weeks. Total sugar (reducing sugar plus sucrose) declined more quickly during storage at 10° than at 0° in all cultivars, but the relative changes in sucrose and reducing sugars during storage were often complex. Hedonic (like/dislike) and sweetness scores awarded by taste panelists were significantly correlated with each other and with reducing sugar, sucrose, and total sugar concentrations only after storage. The highest correlations were between sucrose concentration and hedonic taste scores (r = 0.76, P < 0.01) and between sucrose concentration and sensory sweetness scores (r = 0.73, P < 0.01). Starch concentration varied with cultivar, but was not correlated with sensory quality. Water-soluble polysaccharide concentration varied with cultivar, storage time, and storage temperature, but did not correlate with sensory quality.