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ISAFRUIT news from Lisbon

Fruit perception in West Balkan countries differ from Western Europe

 

A study carried out in 6 West Balkan countries shows that fruit consumption and perception in these countries are very different from Western Europe. A normal intake of fruit is considered to be as high as 400 g; much higher than intakes in the Mediterranean area. Interestingly, also the characteristics of fruits emphasised differ considerably as the highest priority found in West Balkan was that fruits should be free from pesticides whereas results from studies in Western Europe clearly indicate that taste is the most important. In general, the appearance of fruit and convenience were rated lower by consumers in the West Balkan countries, where most fruit is consumed at home and more fruit is home grown. The results found are based on 30 in-depth interviews carried out in each of the countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, FYRoM, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. Interestingly, a study like this suggests that work currently carried out to develop convenient processed fruit products in Western Europe would probably be irrelevant for the West Balkan market. Other strategies should be developed to increase fruit consumption in these countries (source: Presentation S11.012 by S. Sijtsema, IHC2010 Download Abstract).

ISAFRUIT news from Lisbon

Your genes can reveal what you like

 

Sensory science is a very complex research field aiming to describe how we perceive food products in order to understand and maybe even predict what we like and dislike. It is known that our perception of taste is affected by cultural factors, experiences with similar food products and tastes earlier in life, the situation where we eat the food and not least our genes. Some groups of humans are not able to perceive certain flavours while others can react very strongly to the same flavours. If such characteristics for what foods we like can be described, it might be possible to develop products in accordance with different genetically based sensory perceptions in the future. Research has already been done with flavours in fruits by injecting artificial flavours like smoked salmon, tropical fruits and chocolate into apples before they were presented to consumers. Whether any of these were successful innovations was not revealed (source: Presentation S11.053 by F. R. Harker, IHC2010 Download Abstract).   

 

ISAFRUIT news live from Lisbon

Shading apple trees has same effect as chemical treatment

To obtain apples of a desired size, commercial growers must thin out the trees in the orchard every year by removing some of the very young apples. This procedure assures that the remaining apples on the tree are provided with sufficient amounts of energy and nutrients. In current integrated production excess fruits are removed by chemical treatment but ISAFRUIT researchers have now demonstrated that exactly the same effect can be obtained by covering the tree canopies with a net. The net shades the trees and thereby decreases their ability to produce energy. This lack of energy induces a natural fruit drop. There is still more research to do to determine the optimum time of shading and the shading procedure is currently too expensive to compete with chemical treatments. However, the method is a promising alternative to the use of chemicals. In addition, one of the attendees at the presentation pointed out that it might be possible to develop a shading net that also protects against insect pests (Source: presentation S11.042 by M. Zibordi, IHC 2010 Download Abstract).

ISAFRUIT news live from Lisbon

We know what our pears should look like

   

South Africa is a main producer and exporter of pears. Varieties produced spans a wide range of shapes and colours such as green, rusty, yellow, blushed, purple and red. As high as 80 % of the total production ends up on European markets, so a study has been conducted to find out how Europeans want their pears to look. Surprisingly, the result was very clear. The traditional pear shape was strongly preferred to the more round shape and the most popular colours were green, yellow and lightly blushed pears. As the survey also showed that consumers are willing to pay more for pears they like the look of, the study provides valuable information for South African farmers. (source: Presentation S11.015 by W.J. Steyn, IHC2010 Download Abstract)

ISAFRUIT news live from Lisbon

Predicting consumer preference without taste tests

It is crucial that the fruit supply chain delivers fruit of a quality, taste and texture, that matches what consumers want. Eating fruit that doesn’t live up to expectations can discourage consumers from eating the same variety or maybe even the same type of fruit again. To avoid disappointing consumers researchers are working to develop measurements that can predict what a fruit will taste like and which groups of consumers it will appeal to, before the fruit is even harvested. Studies with kiwis and apples have shown that the rating of fruit by consumers is directly linked to technical quality measurements of fruit such as water and sugar content. These promising results suggest that it is possible to predict which groups of consumers will like a fruit based solely on simple technical measurements carried out at an early stage  in the production chain (source: Presentation S11.013 by F. R. Harker, IHC2010 Download Abstract).

ISAFRUIT news live from Lisbon

Health claims on processed fruits still a long way off

 

In 2007 a new European regulation for health claims on food products came into effect. A health claim is a statement food manufactures can label their products with, which states that intake of the product improves health, either by preventing specific diseases or by improving certain bodily functions. Permission to put a health claim on a product can be an important competitive factor for food companies and also help consumers to find healthy products in the supermarket. However, to avoid misleading the consumer scientific evidence is necessary before food companies are allowed to add a heath claim to their label. The European Food Safety Authorities (EFSA) has refused the majority of applications regarding processed fruit products, as the scientific evidence provided did not substantiate the claim. To authorise a health claim, scientific studies on healthy humans are needed. Subjects are provided with a strictly controlled diet, so that the effect of a specific food component can be evaluated. Unfortunately, to date, very few human studies investigating health benefits of individual fruits have been conducted and therefore we will not see health claims on processed fruit products in our supermarkets any time soon. The question is will this discourage consumers to buy processed fruit? (Source: presentation S11.018 by M. Heinonen, IHC 2010 Download Abstract).

 

National geographic features the world’s most smelly fruit

Durian fruit, nicknamed ‘the king of fruits’, is possibly one of the worst smelling foods in the world. See how the inhabitants on Malaysian Boneo prepare for the Durian fruit season. 
 

 

Lime marmalade

Ingredients:

 

2 limes

500 g Lemon

0.5 l water

750 g sugar

 

Method:

 

Soak the fruits overnight in cold water. Peel them and slice the peel in very thin slices. Remove the white layer from the fruit pulp, cut the pulp into cubes and take out the seeds. Mix fruit pulp and peel in a pot with 0.5 l water. Leave it overnight. Bring the mixture to boil and let it simmer with the lit on for an hour. Add sugar and let it simmer without lit for an additional 45 minutes. The marmalade should be so thickened that it runs slowly off the tip of a spoon.

Pour the marmalade into airtight glass jars and store in a cold dark place.     

 

100 year old technique to produce pineapples in England brought back to life

 
©Copyright The Lost Gardens Of Heligan

At the Lost Gardens located in Heligan, England, they restore and showcase original gardening techniques that took place at the estate over 100 years ago. One of them is a special and hugely expensive pit to in which to grow pineapples (calculated to have cost the equivalent of almost €12,000). By burning a mixture of manure and straw, the right conditions of heat and humidity for pineapples can be obtained even during the winter months and the successful restoration has resulted in an annual production of about 20 mini pineapples during recent years. The biggest challenge for the gardeners is, surprisingly, to track down the required 30 tonnes of fresh manure per year and therefore it has been necessary to install electrical heating for times where no manure is available. This year however, they succeeded in producing pineapples exactly as in they did in the old days (Source: The Lost Gardens of Heligan).

Mangos for diabetics

In Malihabad in India they have produced a mango with 75 % reduced sugar content. It has taken five years to breed the mango, which is light purple in colour and has been named ‘Taam Adikans’. The target consumer group is diabetics, but depending on the interest the mango generates, it might have potential for large-scale production (Source: Samay news)