Effect of Grape Maturity, Sample Order, and Sex of the Taster on the Flavor Response of Supermarket Customers

¹ Departments of Viticulture and Enology and Consumer Sciences, University of California, Davis 95616
² Food Systems Economics and Management Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48823.

'Perlette' table grapes harvested at Indio, California, at 12-20° Balling (°B) and cooled immediately were flown to Chicago the next day. The cold berries were cut from the stems and separated with a graduated series of sugar solutions into maturity levels of 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20°B ± 0.5°B. The respecrive Balling-acid ratios were 11:1, 15:1, 17:1, 23:1, and 30:1. One berry of each level was presented to a customer in a Jewel Food Store in randomized order. A 9-point hedonic scale of 4 levels of "like" and "dislike" (extremely, very much, moderately, and slightly) and one of "neither" was feasible within the practical limit of 2-4 minutes per participant if the interviewer first established whether the response was "like" or "dislike", then the degree (extremely to slightly). For the 375 tasters interviewed acceptability increased markedly with °B. Further, tasters liked 20°B grapes more if they followed 12°B fruit, and disliked 12°B grapes more when they followed those of 20°B. Women showed a stronger dislike than men for lower-maturity berries, and at the same time a slightly stronger like than men for higher-maturity grapes.