Abstract

Fruits of the raspberry cultivars Glen Clova, Glen Lyon and Glen Moy were harvested from 4 sites on 2 harvest dates and evaluated fresh or following storage at -20 deg C to determine the relative importance of genotype, harvest date, location and freezing effects on 19 sensory attributes using a trained sensory panel. Freezing and cultivar x freezing interaction effects were relatively large while site, harvest date, and other interactions were of minor importance. The cultivar x freezing interaction was caused by differential responses among cultivars for the sensory attributes purpleness, juiciness, sweetness and raspberry aroma, with less discrimination among cultivars postfreezing. Glen Clova fresh fruits received the highest values for juiciness, fruitiness, sweetness and raspberry aroma; Glen Moy fresh fruits received the highest values for purpleness; Glen Lyon fresh fruits received the lowest values for juiciness. Postfreezing, Glen Lyon received the highest values for purpleness and sweetness and all 3 cultivars were similar for the other attributes. These data suggest that selection for improved postfreezing sensory characteristics should not rely solely on fresh fruit evaluations, although further study of a more genetically diverse group of genotypes would be beneficial. The significant cultivar and minimal harvest date and location effects suggest that these fruit sensory analysis methods should be useful in selecting raspberry genotypes with superior fruit quality.