Fruit and Vegetable Quality

CHAPTER 7

Acceptability

LEOPOLD M. M. TIJSKENS

INTRODUCTION

QUALITY of products, and most certainly quality of perishable prod-
ucts, is very elusive and difficult to define. In almost any language, up
to the Romans, the saying is known not to discuss color and taste. This
means that every individual is entitled to judge the quality, and hence
the acceptability, of any product according to his or her own standards
however unclear or ill defined. And that is a good and fundamental right
in any democratic state.
However, production and distribution of perishable products tailored
to each individual preference can never be achieved in large-scale op-
erations. So, the food industry has to develop standards of quality and
of acceptability that cover the preferences of large groups of individu-
als. Studying these groups and establishing their preferences is the task
of consumer and marketing research. Establishing general patterns in
quality behavior and their description belongs to product research. Trans-
lating the established preferences and the quality behavior of perishable
products simultaneously into a workable philosophy on consumers’ view
of quality belongs to nobody in particular but to everybody in general.

DECOMPOSITION OF QUALITY

Many studies have been undertaken to catch the elusive quality into
a coherent theory, applicable in many situations. The objectives range

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