Assessment of Postharvest Fruit Quality Changes in Southern Highbush Blueberry Cultivars by Trained Sensory Panels

Southern highbush blueberry (SHB, Vaccinium corymbosum interspecific hybrids) production in Florida is predominantly sold as a fresh product during the high-value early season period of March through May. As blueberry production in Florida and other southeastern U.S. production regions continues to increase, the need for cultivars with superior postharvest longevity will become increasingly important. The objective of this study was to assess the fruit quality changes that occurred during postharvest storage for six SHB cultivars released from the University of Florida blueberry breeding program (‘Arcadia^TM’, ‘Emerald’, ‘Endura^TM’, ‘Indigocrisp^TM’, ‘Keecrisp^TM’, and ‘Patrecia’) . The six cultivars were harvested on two different dates during the 2015 season, and fruit from each harvest date were stored for 14 days at 5 °C. At days one, seven, and 14, fruit from each cultivar were assessed using a trained sensory panel for firmness, sweetness, sourness, blueberry-like flavor, and unripe-green flavor. Additionally, a sub-sample of fruit were used for instrumental quantification of firmness, soluble solids, and titratable acidity. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) between harvest dates for firmness of ‘Arcadia^TM’, ‘IndigocrispTM’, and ‘Patrecia’. Sweetness of ‘Emerald’, ‘EnduraTM’, and ‘IndigocrispTM’ were significantly different between harvest dates (P < 0.05). Unripe-green flavor was significantly different (P < 0.05) between harvest dates for ‘EnduraTM’ and ‘Patrecia’. Only ‘Emerald’ was significantly different (P < 0.05) between harvest dates for sourness and blueberry-like flavor. ‘KeecrispTM’ was remarkably stable among harvest dates and storage periods, indicating the potential for increased postharvest longevity.