TY - JOUR T1 - Selection of a Mechanical Property for Flesh Firmness of Table Grapes in Accordance with OIV Ampelographic Descriptor JF - American Journal of Enology and Viticulture JO - Am. J. Enol. Vitic. DO - 10.5344/ajev.2014.13115 SP - ajev.2014.13115 AU - Simone Giacosa AU - Fabrizio Torchio AU - Susana Río Segade AU - Mirella Giust AU - Diego Tomasi AU - Vincenzo Gerbi AU - Luca Rolle Y1 - 2014/02/28 UR - http://www.ajevonline.org/content/early/2014/02/25/ajev.2014.13115.abstract N2 - Flesh firmness is a sensory characteristic proposed by OIV as an ampelographic descriptor for grape varieties and Vitis species (Code -N∘ OIV 235). To accurately define the flesh firmness of table grapes, an instrumental texture parameter that makes it possible to classify the five reference table-grape cultivars for this descriptor was selected. The mechanical properties of the berry flesh were determined by texture-profile analysis and cutting tests. The results showed that the berry hardness and gumminess, normalized by the berry diameter, are good instrumental indicators of the flesh firmness because the variations among the cultivars were evident, independent of the berry size and the maturity grade. The interquartile ranges of the berry hardness normalized by the berry diameters for each flesh-firmness group established by OIV (soft, slightly firm, very firm) were 0.074–0.117, 0.121–0.158 and 0.205–0.391 N/mm, respectively. This standardized protocol can be applied to better compare the performance of grape varieties. ER -