Intrinsic and extrinsic attributes, related to growing altitude, influence consumer acceptability and sensory perception of fresh apple

BACKGROUND Growing altitude might have an effect on the quality of fresh apple, and therefore, on the perception of sensory attributes and acceptance by consumers. On the other hand, extrinsic information provided to the consumer might affect consumer acceptability and sensory perception of main fruit quality traits. The main objective of this work was to study the effect of the growing altitude on the physico-chemical attributes [soluble solid content (SSC), flesh firmness, fruit weight (g), and titratable acidity (TA)], consumer acceptability and perception of main sensory attributes (sweetness, acidity and texture) of two reference apple cultivars (‘Golden D.’ and ‘Reineta’) by using a panel of 195 consumers. In addition, a secondary objective was to study whether extrinsic information about cultivar and growing place have an effect on consumer perception and acceptance of fresh apple. RESULTS Significant effects on the physico-chemical and the sensory attributes were found for ‘Golden D.’ and ‘Reineta’ apple cultivars due to the growing altitude, and they were perceived by consumers. Moreover, extrinsic information about the cultivar and the growing site significantly influenced consumer’s sensory perception. CONCLUSIONS This work demonstrated that differences between apple fruit grown at different altitudes can be perceived by consumers. In addition, we demonstrated the importance of providing consumers with information about the cultivar and the growing place in order to increase their acceptance and support local produce.Publishe