Effects of site and cultivar on consumer acceptance of pomegranate

Authors: CHATER, JOHN - University Of California; MERHAUT, DONALD - University Of California; JIA, ZHENYU - University Of California; ARPAIA, MARY LU - University Of California; MAUK, PEGGY - University Of California; Preece, John

Submitted to: Journal of Food Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/8/2018
Publication Date: 4/16/2018
Citation: Chater, J.M., Merhaut, D.J., Jia, Z., Arpaia, M., Mauk, P.A., Preece, J.E. 2018. Effects of site and cultivar on consumer acceptance of pomegranate. Journal of Food Science. 83(5):1389-1395. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.14101.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.14101

Interpretive Summary: Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an important fruit in many cultures. The fruit and 17 juice have risen in popularity as it was recently discovered that pomegranate has relatively high 18 antioxidant activity compared to most other fruits. In this study, six cultivars were utilized to 19 determine consumer preferences compared to the industry standard, ‘Wonderful’, which 20 comprises 90-95% of commercial production in the USA. Fruit were sourced from two cultivar 21 field trials, one in inland Riverside, CA and one in coastal Ventura County, CA. Cultivars selected for the study included ‘Eversweet’, ‘Green Globe’, ‘Haku Botan’, ‘Phoenicia’, ‘Wonderful’, and ‘cv. 857’, an heirloom cultivar from Ventura County, CA USA. Pomegranate arils were subject to sensory evaluation by 87 untrained consumer panelists during two tastings in late 2016. Panelists were given pomegranate arils and asked to score the samples using a 9-point Hedonic scale for the following fruit quality traits: aril color, sweetness, tartness, seed hardness, bitterness and overall desirability. There were significant differences among cultivars for all traits assessed by the sensory panelists. There were differences in preference among consumers for ‘Wonderful’ depending on if it was grown on the coast versus inland, and consumers preferred inland- versus coastal-grown. ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate was associated with cultivars that consumers scored low on desirability for bitterness in both panels. Cultivars that scored well in overall desirability versus ‘Wonderful’ were ‘cv. 857’, ‘Green Globe’, and ‘Phoenicia’.

Technical Abstract: Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an important fruit in many cultures. The fruit and 17 juice have risen in popularity as it was recently discovered that pomegranate has relatively high 18 antioxidant activity compared to most other fruits. In this study, six cultivars were utilized to 19 determine consumer preferences compared to the industry standard, ‘Wonderful’, which 20 comprises 90-95% of commercial production in the USA. Fruit were sourced from two cultivar 21 field trials, one in inland Riverside, CA and one in coastal Ventura County, CA. Cultivars selected for the study included ‘Eversweet’, ‘Green Globe’, ‘Haku Botan’, ‘Phoenicia’, ‘Wonderful’, and ‘cv. 857’, an heirloom cultivar from Ventura County, CA USA. Pomegranate arils were subject to sensory evaluation by 87 untrained consumer panelists during two tastings in late 2016. Panelists were given pomegranate arils and asked to score the samples using a 9-point Hedonic scale for the following fruit quality traits: aril color, sweetness, tartness, seed hardness, bitterness and overall desirability. There were significant differences among cultivars for all traits assessed by the sensory panelists. There were differences in preference among consumers for ‘Wonderful’ depending on if it was grown on the coast versus inland, and consumers preferred inland- versus coastal-grown. ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate was associated with cultivars that consumers scored low on desirability for bitterness in both panels. Cultivars that scored well in overall desirability versus ‘Wonderful’ were ‘cv. 857’, ‘Green Globe’, and ‘Phoenicia’.