2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Fruit bagging, which has been a common pre-harvest method in Asia, is getting popular in the West. It is a promising method to lessen the pesticide usage due to its protective function. Its effect on the sensory properties of the fruit and how the consumers perceive it are not fully studied. Since consumers are the ultimate decision maker, it is important to find out how they perceive organic bagged peaches. A consumer test (n = 111) was conducted to determine acceptability and consumer perception of bagged organic peaches (cultivar ‘Julyprince’) along with the instrumental analyses. Compared to conventionally-grown organic peaches, bagged peaches had a significantly smaller size, less weight, higher L value for the light side of the skin, greater Kramer shear force, and a higher aroma liking score. However, there were no significant differences in the degrees Brix, pH, total titratable acidity, compression, puncture, and liking scores (appearance, flavor, sweetness, sourness, and texture). The majority of consumers considered buying peaches from the nearby/local areas as important. Among the characteristics of peaches, consumers considered appearance (damaged/defective/bruised), firmness, and presence and strength of aroma as the key characteristics. Considering that most fruits on the market get pre-sorted if their appearance or texture are defective, aroma of the peach fruit can be considered as the most important characteristic when purchasing peaches. Most of the consumers (69%) had not heard about ‘Bagged Peaches’. After being informed about what they are, their advantages, and disadvantages, 63% of the consumers expressed their attitude toward bagged peaches as positive, 59% showed they are likely to become a regular consumer of bagged peaches, and 47% answered that they are willing to pay more for ‘bagged peaches’ in the market. Bagged peaches grown in Southeastern region of U.S. could be competitive on the market satisfying consumer’s need of purchasing locally grown fruit and having acceptable aroma even with slightly higher cost.