Development of a lexicon for flavor and texture of fresh peach cultivars

摘要

A universal lexicon to describe the appearance, aroma/flavors, and textures/feeling factors of peaches was developed. The objective was to provide a standardized lexicon for descriptive validation. A trained descriptive panel established 29 attributes using 51 peach cultivars grown throughout the production season. This lexicon includes 18 aroma and flavor attributes to describe mature peaches as well as under-ripe and over-ripe, redness of flesh for appearance, three feeling factors, and seven terms for describing textures. Principal component analysis was used to discern if differences were found among peach samples using the lexicon terms utilized by trained panelists. Texture was the primary differentiating factor in the first dimension of the biplot followed by peach-identity in the second dimension. Additionally, the attributes peach-identity, fruity, sweet, tart, citrus, sour, along with textures and feeling factors were prominent in all peach varieties. This lexicon can be useful to identify and quantify sensory attributes in fresh peaches for food and agriculture research.