Preharvest factors influencing flavor of fresh fruit and vegetables

Perception of fruit and vegetable flavor is a composite of sensory response s in the nose and mouth to aroma and taste. A diverse array of fruit and ve getable constituents including acids, sugars, volatiles and many other comp ounds individually elicit sensory responses that are recognized in total as flavor. Accumulation of these compounds during development as well as dyna mic changes during ripening and/or senescence are determined in large part by the genetics of each species as well as developmental stage at harvest. However, other factors that influence development prior to harvest subseque ntly impact flavor. For horticultural crops, environment, cultural practice s, agrichemicals and nutrition are some of the factors impacting flavor thr ough effects on plant development. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All right s reserved.