Common Ground
A view of quality has emerged from the pages of this book. Quality
is not a simple concept. Rather, it can be viewed from many perspec-
tives including the product, the consumer and the market. Classification
of quality characteristics in fruits and vegetables requires an under-
standing of both the visible (external, purchase) and hidden (internal,
consumption) aspects as well as those associated with the item (intrin-
sic, sensory) and other factors (extrinsic, image). The importance of spe-
cific characteristics changes as the fruit or vegetable travels in the
distribution chain and the perspective of a specific customer. The per-
ishable nature of fresh fruits and vegetables ensures that quality is not
constant but changes with time, thus introducing the topic of shelf life
or keeping quality. Quantitative measures for quality characteristics are
required for studies designed to improve the quality of fresh fruits and
vegetables. Economic aspects could represent a unifying factor as an
item proceeds from harvest to consumption as long as value can be sep-
arated from marketing and merchandising considerations.
Divergence
Many areas are described in this book regarding quality on which
there is no consensus. This situation can be viewed in two ways: as an
impediment to further progress or an opportunity for coalescing differ-
ent perspectives. Several definitions of quality were advanced (Table
16.1), but no single definition emerged as superior. The focal point of
emphasis ranged from the product to the consumer to the market, with
associated terminology related to the focus adopted by chapter authors
(Table 16.2). Economic and physiological aspects were either ignored
or were considered to be the most important factors in determining qual-
ity. Likewise, the importance of shelf life tended to be either overlooked
or strongly emphasized. Few quantitative measures of quality or related
terms were provided with no consistency between offerings.
A primary reason for this divergence appears to be a confusion be-
tween the pure intrinsic quality of a product and its practical accept-
ability to the consumer or user. Intrinsic quality is completely defined
by those properties in the product that have a bearing on the quality char-
acteristics. Acceptability is the result of an evaluation by the user of
those quality characteristics in view of an intention of use in a frame-