Vol. 127 (2014): Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society
Krome Memorial Institute (Tropicals)

Results of a taste-test methodology used to compare twenty fresh-market muscadine grape cultivars to an accepted standard cultivar, ‘fry’

Jacque Breman
UF/IFAS
Pate Andersen
UF/IFAS
Jenny Jump
UF/IFAS
Amy Simonne
UF/IFAS
2014 Proceedings Florida State Horticultural Society Volume 127

Published 2018-03-15

Abstract

Taste-test methodology using a standard in successive rounds of comparisons with other cultivars produced a relative ranking that might be helpful for selecting fresh-eating muscadine grape cultivars for production and consumer marketing. Twenty-one volunteers taste-tested a total of 20 muscadine grape cultivars compared to the standard ‘Fry’ in successive rounds of blind samples of seven, seven, and six cultivars on 21 August 2012. Tasters rated cultivars as: “much worse” = –2; “worse” = –1; “same” = 0; “better ”= +1; and “much better” = +2 than ‘Fry’. Taster responses were summed to develop a relative rating of all cultivars. ‘Black Beauty’, ‘Sugargate’, and ‘Summit’ were rated first, second and third over ‘Fry’. ‘Darlene’ was rated equal to ‘Fry’. Fruit juice total soluble solids (TSS) was measured with a refractometer, reported as °Brix, juice total acidity (pH) was measured with a pH meter, and mean berry weight of 10 berries were measured on 22 August 2012, from sub-samples of the tasted lots. Grape cultivar rating was positively correlated with TSS °Brix (r = 0.86). The correlation coefficients between panelist rating and acidity (r = 0.46) and berry weight (r = 0.69) were low. Factors other than TSS may influence taster preference for fresh-market muscadine grape cultivars.