The Quality Perception of Fresh Berries: An Empirical Survey in the German Market

Charting the Future of E-Grocery: An Evaluation of the Use of Digital Imagery as a Sensory Analysis Tool for Fresh Fruits

While online grocery shopping has been rapidly expanding over the last several years, online sales of fresh produce have lagged far behind. One of the most significant contributing factors for this lag is the consumer’s inability to assess the quality of produce online. We hypothesized that this could be alleviated by machine vision technology. This study examines perceived sensory attributes derived from digital images of fresh fruits and compares them with sensory attributes obtained from the actual fruit. Digital images of fresh strawberries, cherry tomatoes, grapes, and blueberries were acquired using a high-resolution digital camera. Consumer panelists evaluated the appearance, texture, flavor, overall eating quality, and also determined purchase decision. Panel sizes ranging from 32 to 40 members (a total of 147) also conducted in situ evaluations of the different fruits. The paired t-test indicated that the mean results between pairs of image scores and in situ evaluation scores were statistically insignificant. The scores obtained for texture and overall eating quality showed some variability, but the scores for quality appearance were remarkably consistent revealing no difference across the evaluations of the various commodities. The results demonstrated that digital images can be utilized to effectively relay the appearance attributes of fresh produce. This finding is relevant for the industry, as the appropriate construction of real time images can help to build consumers’ trust in the quality of e-deliveries, nudge consumers to purchase fruits and vegetables, and increase the overall e-commerce acceptance for fresh produce. A discussion of the limitations and opportunities for improving the effectiveness of digital sensory analysis of fresh produce is provided.

Reflective mulch increases fruit yield of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L. cv. Darrow) grown in a northern maritime environment while maintaining key fruit quality traits

BACKGROUND

In maritime growing environments, blueberry yield often exhibits excessive season-to-season variation, associated with poorly adapted photosynthetic responses to low light conditions. It is therefore necessary to develop methods that stabilise yield while maintaining or improving fruit quality. Here, we placed reflective mulch alongside plants at the early green fruit stage, to test the hypothesis that increasing the available seasonal light integral could enhance blueberry yield. We further determined several quality characteristics to ensure fruit marketability.

RESULTS

Placement of mulch alongside plants reflected up to five times more light compared with bare ground, enhancing the amount of light reaching the canopy. This led to an adaptive increase of light saturated maximal photosynthetic rate of mulch-treated plants, resulting in a twofold increase in yield compared with control plants. Analysis of fruit quality characteristics showed that total soluble solids, sugars and organic acids were similar between treatments. Likewise, antioxidant capacity, total anthocyanin content and the content of individual anthocyanins did not change in response to reflective mulch treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of reflective mulch should be explored by industry as a cost-effective method for enhancing blueberry yield while maintaining fruit quality in maritime environments. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Organic Consumer Choices for Nutrient Labels on Dried Strawberries among Different Health Attitude Segments in Norway, Romania, and Turkey

Consumer interest towards healthy food is driving the growth of the organic food market because consumers perceive organic food products to improve their personal health. Berries have well-known health benefits and show increasing market shares in European markets. This manuscript investigates for the first time how health attitudes relate to organic consumers’ choices for nutrient labels of organic dried strawberry products. We conducted an online survey with 614 consumers from Norway, Romania, and Turkey. All participants consumed and liked strawberries and purchased organic food at least once a month. Participants filled out attitudinal questionnaires and conducted an experimental choice task featuring paired images of packaged organic dried strawberries varying in nutrients content label and other factors. The pooled sample was split into three groups of varying health attitudes for profiling and choice analysis. The results show that broad variations exist in health attitudes among Norwegian, Romanian, and Turkish organic consumers. A non-linear effect of health attitude is revealed, where a moderate health attitude is more strongly associated with the selection of products with increased nutrients content than either a low or a high health attitude. The results highlight the complexity in targeting nutrition labels to organic consumers. Finally, implications and suggestions for organic food operators are discussed along with future research avenues.

Microwave-dried or air-dried? Consumers' stated preferences and attitudes for organic dried strawberries. A multi-country investigation in Europe

Non-thermal food processing technologies are becoming more important in the organic food sector because, beyond preserving the organic feature, they could offer organic products with additional benefits in terms of enhanced nutritional content and healthiness as well as better sensory properties that could satisfy the more complex demands of organic consumers. Berries have a well-known health benefits and show increasing market shares in European markets while dehydration can increase the food convenience in terms of extended shelf-life. This study investigates for the first time organic consumers' stated preferences, attitudes and individual differences for a non-thermal organic processing technology. Specifically, we investigated consumers' preferences for organic dried strawberries varying in drying technology used, such as the most conventional (i.e. thermal) air drying and the most innovative (i.e. non-thermal) microwave drying, origin, price levels, and nutrient contents in three European countries: Norway, Romania and Turkey. Data from a total of 614 consumers were collected through an online choice experiment. Results show that on average consumers prefer organic dried strawberries produced with air drying technology that have national origin, with natural nutrient content and at low price, but country and individual differences are identified. Consumers who showed least rejection for microwave dried products are young, mostly from Norway and have higher positive attitudes towards new food technologies. Consumers who showed most rejection for microwave dried products are older, mostly from Turkey and have higher positive attitudes for organic, natural and ecological products. Organic producers who adopt microwave drying might better inform consumers about the characteristics, the process and highlight the nutritional benefits of such technology. Finally, this research informs policy makers about the need to define and regulate more clearly microwave drying as an organic technology, as well as to regulate labelling to ensure that consumers are not misled and correctly informed about the new technology.