Eating quality of 'Gala' and 'Fuji' apples (Malus domestica Borkh,) fr
om multiple harvests and storage durations was assessed using an untra
ined consumer panel. Apples were harvested at weekly intervals for 6 w
eeks and stored in air, Changes; due to harvest maturity and storage f
or overall liking (OL), sweetness, tartness, firmness, and flavor inte
nsity were evaluated over 8 months. A multivariate factor analysis rev
ealed multicollinearity for OL, sweetness, and flavor intensity rating
s in both cultivars, These attributes had the highest loadings in the
first factor, explaining 51% and 52% of the variance of 'Gala' and 'Fu
ji' data sets, respectively, and were interpreted as a quality factor,
Tartness and firmness had the highest loadings in the second factor f
or 'Gala', explaining an additional 23% of the variability and reducin
g that cultivar's data set to two factors, For 'Fuji', however, tartne
ss and firmness were independent and included in factors 2 and 3, resp
ectively, Factors 2 and 3 were interpreted as maturity factors, which
explained 23% and 12% of the variance, The plots of the mean factor sc
ores provided a multivariate technique to illustrate that panelists co
uld differentiate between the stages of maturity of apples, Canonical
correlations were calculated between the sensory and instrumental data
, Only firmness measurements were correlated with sensory ratings for
firmness (r = 0.53 and 0.44 for 'Gala' and 'Fuji', respectively).