Fruit and Vegetable Quality

Conclusion

A stimulus may consist of a single chemical compound or physical
property. Both should be able to be measured with the appropriate pre-
cision and accuracy. A stimulus may also consist of several components,
which may or may not be analyzable by the human sensory system. In
this case we cannot be sure that changes in one component directly trans-
late into predictable sensations. They may change the pattern subjects
will recognize, so we should investigate what contributes to one indi-
visible pattern and how their interactive mechanisms can be specified
and quantified.
One consequence for fruit and vegetable production and handling
means offering and controlling product concepts adapted to consumer
segments, rather than relying on single or independent attributes. The
knowledge of rejection points, where attributes dominate consumer ac-
ceptance ratings, as was found in case of the puncture force, or of the

194 INSTRUMENTAL DATA—CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE

0

100

Acceptance (0-100)

Storage period (days)

too soft ideal too firm

90

80

70

60

50

47

FIGURE 10.6The approval of flavor during storage, depending on the consumers’ ini-
tial firmness perception of the fresh fruits. Three groups were distinguished: those that
did not like firm fruits, those that did not like soft fruits, and those perceiving fruits as
ideal.