(30.7%), “tastes like a banana” (26.8%) and color (11.0%). Note that
multiple responses were allowed for methods of home storage, purchase
quality characteristics and consumption quality characteristics.
The results from the consumer acceptability tests suggest that less
than 25% of purchasers of bananas are concerned about freshness ex-
tension of bananas and that 70% have shelf-life expectations of four days
or less. The emphasis on texture (primarily a concern for mushiness) as
a consumption characteristic is interesting but was not verified by the
consumption acceptability tests, which suggested that consumers value
sweetness more than they are willing to admit. The data also show that
consumers prefer consuming a riper banana than they would choose to
consume based on color. Those consumers who rejected the riper ba-
nanas (stages 6 and 7) during the consumption acceptability tests cited
mushiness as the reason for rejection, but for most participants color
clearly predominated over texture.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Popularity of fresh fruits and vegetables has increased in recent years
because of their image as healthy, nutritious foods. With a current trend
towards dietary supplements or nutraceuticals and prospects for trends
not yet contemplated, a healthy image might not be enough to improve
or even maintain current consumption levels. Marketers and distributors
of fresh fruits and vegetables will need to anticipate consumer desires
particularly with regard to sensory quality and convenience. Current
tools available to postharvest physiologists and technologists do not pro-
vide the ability to identify consumer desires or to develop new ways to
help meet them. The complexity of understanding the consumer has dis-
couraged attempts at even approaching the problem. This chapter has
subdivided the problem into six distinct aspects and has argued that each
aspect is soluble by focused attention. Further, it offers the QE model
as a means to addressing this issue and has provided some examples of
its use and application. The model as originally conceived deliberately
ignores economic issues, which are critical to evaluating viability of new
techniques. Although limited testing has revealed some weaknesses in
detecting small differences between samples, the QE model does offer
a potential bridge from the current product-oriented quality that lacks
external validity to an economic-based system that will be both inter-
nally and externally valid.