Pomegranate Quality from Consumers’ Perspective: Drivers of Liking, Preference Patterns, and the Relation between Sensory and Physico-Chemical Properties
Acquiring information on consumer preferences for the sensory properties of pomegranates is a cue for breeding programmes to set their quality targets and promote the consumption of this particularly healthy fruit. In this study, a total of 12 pomegranate varieties were evaluated, including comme...
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| Format: | Artículo |
| Language: | Inglés |
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MDPI
2024
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/8970 https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/13/2118 |
| _version_ | 1855492597392343040 |
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| author | Pons-Gómez, Ana Delpozo, Bárbara Bartual, Julián Besada, Cristina |
| author_browse | Bartual, Julián Besada, Cristina Delpozo, Bárbara Pons-Gómez, Ana |
| author_facet | Pons-Gómez, Ana Delpozo, Bárbara Bartual, Julián Besada, Cristina |
| author_sort | Pons-Gómez, Ana |
| collection | ReDivia |
| description | Acquiring information on consumer preferences for the sensory properties of pomegranates
is a cue for breeding programmes to set their quality targets and promote the consumption of
this particularly healthy fruit. In this study, a total of 12 pomegranate varieties were evaluated,
including commercial (Valenciana, Illina, Tastem, Rugalate,Wonderful, Mollar 49 y Mollar 45) and
new varieties (Ref 102, Ref 383, H3/27, and D27/12). For the first time, consumers not only scored
their acceptance of different pomegranate varieties but also described their sensory properties using
CATA questions. This approach allowed us to identify the main drivers of liking, preference patterns,
and the relationship between sensory and physico-chemical properties. Of all the sensory attributes,
acidity intensity was revealed as the main driver of liking/disliking, and two different consumer
preference patterns were identified: ‘low acid pomegranate lovers’ and ‘acid pomegranate lovers’.
Seed properties like the intensity of woody flavour and seed/aril ratio were also key drivers for
preferences. A relationship between sensory and physico-chemical properties was also established.
Interestingly, sweetness perception correlated more strongly with low titratable acidity levels than
with high total soluble solids levels, corroborating that acidity level is a key measurement for quality
assessments. ‘H3/27’ was the most promising of the new varieties for having the well-appreciated
internal properties of the ‘Mollar’ varieties and external and internal red colouration, which makes
it much more appealing to consumers. This study shows that there is still room on the market for
pomegranate varieties with very different sensory properties and highlights the need to develop
sensory labels that help consumers make the right choices. |
| format | Artículo |
| id | ReDivia8970 |
| institution | Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | MDPI |
| publisherStr | MDPI |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ReDivia89702025-04-25T14:49:43Z Pomegranate Quality from Consumers’ Perspective: Drivers of Liking, Preference Patterns, and the Relation between Sensory and Physico-Chemical Properties Pons-Gómez, Ana Delpozo, Bárbara Bartual, Julián Besada, Cristina Woody flavour New cultivar Drivers of liking Preferences Costumer Q01 Food science and technology Acidity woody Pomegranates Acquiring information on consumer preferences for the sensory properties of pomegranates is a cue for breeding programmes to set their quality targets and promote the consumption of this particularly healthy fruit. In this study, a total of 12 pomegranate varieties were evaluated, including commercial (Valenciana, Illina, Tastem, Rugalate,Wonderful, Mollar 49 y Mollar 45) and new varieties (Ref 102, Ref 383, H3/27, and D27/12). For the first time, consumers not only scored their acceptance of different pomegranate varieties but also described their sensory properties using CATA questions. This approach allowed us to identify the main drivers of liking, preference patterns, and the relationship between sensory and physico-chemical properties. Of all the sensory attributes, acidity intensity was revealed as the main driver of liking/disliking, and two different consumer preference patterns were identified: ‘low acid pomegranate lovers’ and ‘acid pomegranate lovers’. Seed properties like the intensity of woody flavour and seed/aril ratio were also key drivers for preferences. A relationship between sensory and physico-chemical properties was also established. Interestingly, sweetness perception correlated more strongly with low titratable acidity levels than with high total soluble solids levels, corroborating that acidity level is a key measurement for quality assessments. ‘H3/27’ was the most promising of the new varieties for having the well-appreciated internal properties of the ‘Mollar’ varieties and external and internal red colouration, which makes it much more appealing to consumers. This study shows that there is still room on the market for pomegranate varieties with very different sensory properties and highlights the need to develop sensory labels that help consumers make the right choices. 2024-09-03T07:49:38Z 2024-09-03T07:49:38Z 2024 article publishedVersion Pons-Gómez, A., Delpozo, B., Bartual, J., & Besada, C. (2024). Pomegranate Quality from Consumers’ Perspective: Drivers of Liking, Preference Patterns, and the Relation between Sensory and Physico-Chemical Properties. Foods, 13(13), 2118. 2304-8158 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/8970 10.3390/foods13132118 https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/13/2118 en A. Pons-Gómez wishes to thank the Regional Ministry of Innovation, Universities, Science and Digital Society (Generalitat Valenciana) for the financial support of her contract EDGJID-2021- 252. This work was supported by the project IVIA-GVA 52401E from the Valencian Institute for Agricultural Research and co-financed by the European Union through the ERDF Program 2021– 2027 Comunitat Valenciana. It was also funded by Fundings for the valorisation of differentiated agri-food quality products granted by the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Development of the Valencian Community (AGRVAL 2023-14). info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ERDF/PCV 2021-2027/52201/ES/Relanzando la agroalimentación valenciana para una producción y consumo sostenibles y seguros/AgroAlimVal Atribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ openAccess MDPI electronico |
| spellingShingle | Woody flavour New cultivar Drivers of liking Preferences Costumer Q01 Food science and technology Acidity woody Pomegranates Pons-Gómez, Ana Delpozo, Bárbara Bartual, Julián Besada, Cristina Pomegranate Quality from Consumers’ Perspective: Drivers of Liking, Preference Patterns, and the Relation between Sensory and Physico-Chemical Properties |
| title | Pomegranate Quality from Consumers’ Perspective: Drivers of Liking, Preference Patterns, and the Relation between Sensory and Physico-Chemical Properties |
| title_full | Pomegranate Quality from Consumers’ Perspective: Drivers of Liking, Preference Patterns, and the Relation between Sensory and Physico-Chemical Properties |
| title_fullStr | Pomegranate Quality from Consumers’ Perspective: Drivers of Liking, Preference Patterns, and the Relation between Sensory and Physico-Chemical Properties |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pomegranate Quality from Consumers’ Perspective: Drivers of Liking, Preference Patterns, and the Relation between Sensory and Physico-Chemical Properties |
| title_short | Pomegranate Quality from Consumers’ Perspective: Drivers of Liking, Preference Patterns, and the Relation between Sensory and Physico-Chemical Properties |
| title_sort | pomegranate quality from consumers perspective drivers of liking preference patterns and the relation between sensory and physico chemical properties |
| topic | Woody flavour New cultivar Drivers of liking Preferences Costumer Q01 Food science and technology Acidity woody Pomegranates |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/8970 https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/13/2118 |
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