Fruitomics: The Importance of Combining Sensory and Chemical Analyses in Assessing Cold Storage Responses of Six Peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) Cultivars.

Cold storage is used to extend peach commercial life, but can affect quality. Quality changes are assessed through the content of nutritionally relevant compounds, aroma, physical characters and/or sensorially. Here, six peach and nectarine cultivars were sampled at commercial harvest and after 7 days of 1 °C storage. A trained panel was used to evaluate sensorial characters, while carotenoids, phenolics, vitamin C, total sugars, and qualitative traits including firmness, titrable acidity and soluble solid content were integrated with volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis previously reported. The different analyses reveal interesting patterns of correlation, and the six cultivars responded differently to cold storage. Sensory parameters were correlated with 64 VOCs and seven intrinsic characters. Acidity, firmness, and 10 VOCs were strongly negatively correlated with harmony and sweetness, but positively correlated with bitterness, astringency, and crunchiness. In contrast, Brix, b-carotene, and six VOCs were positively correlated with harmony and sweetness.

Cross-Cultural Differences between Italian and UK Consumer Preferences for 'Big Top' Nectarines in Relation to Cold Storage.

Nectarines are perishable fruits grown in Southern Europe, valued for their sensorial properties. Chilling is used in the supply chain for Northern European consumers, while Southern European consumers can access fresh, locally grown fruit or cold-stored supermarket fruit. Cold storage and fruit ripening affect texture and flavour. Here a consumer survey and hedonic testing compared the appreciation of nectarines (cv. Big Top) in Italy and at two UK sites (n = 359). Fruit was at the commercial harvest stage, or stored at 1 °C or 5 °C for seven days, then sampled after two days' (Italy and one UK site) or four days' (second UK site) ambient recovery. In the consumer survey, the most important factors involved in purchase decision were ripeness, texture, colour, taste and price. Named varieties were more important to Italian than UK respondents, whilst ripeness, price, taste, blemishes, aroma, and 'best before date' were more important in the UK. In sensory analyses, fruits at the commercial harvest stage were preferred to those stored at 1 °C. Preference for the 5 °C stored peaches depended on recovery time. Distinct clusters of peach sensorial attributes were positively or negatively linked to hedonic rating. Factors important in purchase decisions did not affect hedonic rating in the tasting.

Forage grass growth under future climate change scenarios affects fermentation and ruminant efficiency.

With an increasing human population access to ruminant products is an important factor in global food supply. While ruminants contribute to climate change, climate change could also affect ruminant production. Here we investigated how the plant response to climate change affects forage quality and subsequent rumen fermentation. Models of near future climate change (2050) predict increases in temperature, CO2, precipitation and altered weather systems which will produce stress responses in field crops. We hypothesised that pre-exposure to altered climate conditions causes compositional changes and also primes plant cells such that their post-ingestion metabolic response to the rumen is altered. This "stress memory" effect was investigated by screening ten forage grass varieties in five differing climate scenarios, including current climate (2020), future climate (2050), or future climate plus flooding, drought or heat shock. While varietal differences in fermentation were detected in terms of gas production, there was little effect of elevated temperature or CO2 compared with controls (2020). All varieties consistently showed decreased digestibility linked to decreased methane production as a result of drought or an acute flood treatment. These results indicate that efforts to breed future forage varieties should target tolerance of acute stress rather than long term climate.