The influence of sensory and physiochemical quality on Danish children's preferences for apples

Abstract

Children aged 9–13 years ( n=110) evaluated six apple cultivars (‘Jonagold’, ‘Mutsu’, ‘Gala’, ‘Gloster’, ‘Elstar’ and ‘Golden Delicious’) for appearance and taste preferences using hedonic scales. Furthermore, the apple cultivars were evaluated by descriptive sensory analysis and physicochemical quality. The children preferred the appearance of the two red cultivars: ‘Gala’ and ‘Gloster’; and preferred the taste of the cultivars: ‘Elstar’, ‘Jonagold’ and ‘Gala’. The latter were relative high in sugar content. ‘Gala’ was characterised by a very high sugar:acid ratio. Characterisation of the cultivars by a sensory panel showed very different profiles in texture, taste and flavour attributes. When the sensory data were compared with the hedonic taste preference results, apple flavour, perfumed flavour and sweetness were positively associated with taste preference. Skin toughness was negatively related to taste preference. In this study sourness, mealiness and juiciness did not affect taste preference of the six cultivars significantly.