Genotypic, environmental and processing effects on the sensory character of Rubus and Ribes

A trained sensory panel was used to assess the sensory character of raspber ry and blackcurrant fruit and fruit products. Freezing and genotype x freez ing were the most important factors affecting the sensory character of fres h and frozen / thawed raspberries from three cultivars collected at four lo cations on two harvest dates. Genotypic effects were less important. Freezi ng and genotype effects and to a lesser extent the freezing x genotype inte raction were significant factors affecting the sensory character of fresh a nd frozen / thawed raspberries from 30 genotypes collected from a single lo cation and harvest date. Although the genotype x freezing interaction was s tatistically significant, the best fresh and frozen / thawed selections wer e similar, and thus, this interaction may not be of practical importance. Significant genotypic variation among juice samples from 46 Ribes genotypes was found using both human sensory and biochemical evaluations, but no sig nificant correlation was observed between the methods. Genotypes with a sig nificant proportion of commercial juicing cultivars in their parentage were closest to a branded product standard on PCA sensory maps for flavour. Div erse Ribes species and Scandinavian selections were more distant from the s tandard. The inheritance of certain components appeared to be influenced by dominance and / or maternal effects. These multivariate methods are now standard-evaluation procedures for Rubus and Ribes fruit quality at the Scottish Crop Research Insitute. Ongoing st udies are using these techniques to assess the inheritance of fruit quality components.