Consumer research of five new apple cultivars from the Summerland Apple Breeding Program from the 2017 harvest – A confidential report

This research evaluated consumer acceptance of new apple cultivars from the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC) Apple Breeding Program at the Summerland Research and Development Centre (Summerland RDC). Consumers (n = 197) evaluated five new apple cultivars (SPA 1062, SPA 1075, SPA 1080, SPA 1089 and SPA 1090) compared to four commercial standards (Ambrosia, Fuji, Imperial Gala and Honeycrisp). Texture, flavour and appearance assessments were collected at the University of British Columbia (UBC) (Vancouver, BC) using a total of xxx metropolitan consumers. The texture/flavour and appearance assessments were conducted on apple slices and whole apples, respectively. Assessments were collected using 9-point hedonic scales, ranging from: dislike extremely (1) through neither like nor dislike (5) to like extremely (9). Data were analyzed using analysis of variance. Physico-chemical determinations [dry matter (DM), titratable acidity (TA), soluble solids concentration (SSC), height/width ratio, weight, and instrumental firmness] were assessed. SPA 1062, SPA 1089 and SPA 1090 compared favourably to the commercial standards in texture, flavour and appearance, with mean hedonic scores between like slightly (6) and like moderately (7), for all assessments. The texture scores for SPA 1062, SPA 1089 and SPA 1090 were similar to Ambrosia and Fuji and significantly higher than Gala. In general, apples with intermediate instrumental firmness had higher texture scores. SSPA 1080 with a very high firmness had a low hedonic assessment – suggesting it was too hard or dense. The flavour scores for SPA 1062, SPA 1089 and SPA 1090 were as high or higher than the commercial standards. In general, these cultivars had slightly higher TA (4.01-5.55 g∙L-1 malic acid) and lower sweet-tart ratios (2.54-3.25 %/g∙L-1) than the commercial cultivars. Of these top-rated new cultivars for texture and flavour, SPA 1062 and SPA 1090 also had top-rated assessments for hedonic appearance, which were comparable to Ambrosia, and slightly lower in appearance scores than Gala – the most visually preferred cultivar. Possibly Gala’s high appearance score was related to its easily recognizable visual traits – since it does not hold in texture and flavour compared to the new cultivars. This research provides support to the BC fruit industry for evidence-based decision making with respect to release and commercialization of the new apple cultivars into the marketplace from the Summerland RDC Breeding Program.