Meteorological data, biometry and sensory evaluation of late season peach and nectarine varieties

Abstract

Peaches are some of the most preferred fruit worldwide. With the vast palette of varieties, they provide an excellent healthy dietary choice. Unfortunately, the peach tree is very dependent on the weather variations during its vegetation in the early spring period. Thus, it is important to link the simple meteorological data to the physical properties of the fruit (width, length, and thickness). Consumers are most likely drawn by-products that have outstanding physical properties. The present study provided information about the sensory attributes of three late-season peach varieties evaluated in five categories with a total of twenty-five attributes. The fruit attributes were evaluated by a 15-point ascending scale. The object of analysis were the “Flat Queen”, “Evmolpiya”, and “Morsiani 90” varieties. The panellists detected differences between varieties in each of the categories (aroma, texture, taste, internal and external appearance), and a relationship to the physical properties was made. The results emphasized the new data in terms of late-ripening peach variety properties.