Evaluation of Textural Properties of Peach and Nectarine through Texture Profile Analysis

Abstract

Texture of fresh fleshy fruit is one of the main attributes that determine consumer preferences. Peach and nectarine flesh are usually classified as ‘Melting Flesh’ (MF) and ‘Non Melting Flesh’ (NMF); however, these categories are insufficient for describing and analysing the growing supply of new cultivars released annually to the market that exhibit novel flesh typologies. To discriminate types of flesh an assay was conducted on two peach cultivars (‘Andross’ and ‘Carson’) and four nectarine cultivars (‘Andes Nec-1’, ‘Andes Nec-2’, ‘Andes Nec-3’ and ‘Venus’), harvested on the 2014 season. Fruit were evaluated during a five-days ‘shelf-life’ ripening process at 20-22°C. The methodology applied was an instrumental texture profile analysis (TPA), using a TA-XTplus texture analyzer. The TPA parameters were able to segregate cultivars according to their textural properties. The parameter obtained from the TPA test “Force 2”, from to second compression cycle, allows standardizing the samples. Mixed model approach allows incorporating random effects as the fruit heterogeneity and, therefore to obtain a better adjustment of functions which explain the softening of the flesh