Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T15:26:50.023Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A case study on the flavor properties of melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2006

Bárbara Albuquerque ,
Fernando C. Lidon  and
M. Graça Barreiro
Bárbara Albuquerque
Affiliation:
Unidade de Biotecnologia Ambiental, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Quinta da Torre, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Fernando C. Lidon
Affiliation:
Unidade de Biotecnologia Ambiental, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Quinta da Torre, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
M. Graça Barreiro
Affiliation:
Departamento de Fisiologia Vegetal da Estação Agronómica Nacional, Quinta do Marquês, 2780 Oeiras, Portugal
Get access

Abstract

Introduction. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of sugar and citric, malic, succinic and ascorbic acid levels on melon flavor perception, and to infer about consumers’ preferences based on instrumentally measured characteristics. Materials and methods. Fully ripened melons belonging to the ‘Branco’ (Brazilian), ‘Pele de Sapo’ (Spanish) and winter ‘Tendral’ (Portuguese) melon cultivars were analyzed using five fruits with three replicates for each treatment. Quality parameters (weight, height, diameter, solid shape, volume, internal appearance, texture and flavor), sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose), total soluble solids content, sweetness, organic acids (citric, malic, succinic and ascorbic) and sourness were measured. Results and discussion. Flavor was the most important parameter for the consumers’ decision, regarding the different melon cultivars studied. It was also detected that it correlated well with sweetness (thus, with sucrose content) and sourness. The obtained data supports that sugars and organic acids enhance human perception of specific flavor notes in melon.

Keywords

PortugalCucumis melofruitsflavorsweetnessacidityPortugalCucumis melofruitsflaveurdouceuracidité
Type
Research Article
Information
Fruits , Volume 61 , Issue 5 , September 2006 , pp. 333 - 339
Copyright
© CIRAD, EDP Sciences, 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Seymour G.B., McGlasson W.B., Melons, in: Seymour G.B., Taylor J.E., Tucker G.A. (Eds.), Biochemistry of fruit ripening, 1st ed., Chapman and Hall, London, UK, 1993.
Pratt H.K., Melons, in: Hulme A.C. (Ed.), Biochemistry of fruits and their products, Vol. 2, Acad. Press, London, UK, 1971.
Hardenburg R.E., Watada A.E., Wang C.Y., The commercial storage of fruits and vegetables and florist and nursery stocks, USDA Agric. Handb. No. 66, Washington, USA, 1986.
Sykes, S., Melons - new varieties for new and existing markets, Agric. Sci. 3 (1980) 32–35.
Liang C.P., Shewfelt R.L., Kays S.J., The effect of ethylene treatment on quality factors in honeydew melons (Cucumis melo var. inodorus Naud.), Inst. Food Technol. Annu. Meet., 2002, online paper, http://ift.confex.com/ift/2002/techprogram/paper_13585.htm.
Yamaguchi, M., Hughes, D.L., Yabumoto, K.Y., Jennings, W.G., Quality of cantaloupe muskmelons: variability and attributes, Scientia Hortic. 6 (1977) 59–70. CrossRef
Gross, K.C., Pharr, D.M., A potential pathway for galactose metabolism in Cucumis sativus L., a stachyose transporting species, Plant Physiol. 69 (1972) 117–121. CrossRef
Hubbard, N.L., Huber, S.C., Pharr, D.M., Sucrose phosphate synthase and acid invertase as determinants of sucrose concentration in developing muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) fruits, Plant Physiol. 91 (1989) 1527–1534. CrossRef
Hubbard, N.L., Pharr, D.M., Huber, S.C., Sucrose metabolism in ripening muskmelon fruit as affected by leaf area, J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 115 (1990) 798–802.
Albuquerque B., Avaliação da qualidade e regulação dos mecanismos de senescência durante a conservação do melão Tendral de Campo Maior, Univ. Nova Lisboa, Master Thesis, Lisboa, Portugal, 2004.
Pardo, J.E., Alvarruiz, A., Varón, R., Gómez, R., Quality evaluation of melon cultivars, J. Food Qual. 23 (2000) 161–170. CrossRef
Barreiro, M.G., Lidon, F.C., Pinto, M., Physicochemical characterization of the postharvest senescence of the winter melon Tendral, Fruits 56 (2001) 51–58. CrossRef
Hudina, M., Stampar, F., Free sugar and sorbitol content in pear (Pyrus communis L.) cv. Williams during fruit development using different treatments, Acta Hortic. 514 (2000) 269–274. CrossRef
Smith S.M., Measurement of the quality of apples – Recommendations of an ECC Working Group, East Malling Res. St., UK, 1986.
Whitney E.N., Hamilton E.M.N., Rolfes S.R., Understanding nutrition, 5th ed., West Publ. Co., Edinburg, UK, 1999.
Furukawa, H., Saso, H., Maeda, S., Ninomiya, T., Taste test of organic acids. Part I: Measurements of point of subjective equalities (PSE) on sourness of nine organic acids accepted as food additives, J. Jpn Soc. Food Ind. 16 (1969) 63–68.
Mackey A.C., Hard M.M., Zaehringer M.V., Measuring textural characteristics of fresh fruit and vegetables – Apples, carrots, and cantaloupes. A manual of selected procedures, Agric. Exp. St., Techn. Bull. 123, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR, USA, 1973.
Johnson A.M., Resurreccion A.V.A., Consumer acceptance of Georgia cantaloupes grown by various irrigation and cooling methods, Inst. Food Technol. Annu. Meet., 2002, online paper http://ift.confex.com/ift/2002/techprogram/paper_11611.htm
Senesi, E., Cesare, L.F., Prinzivalli, C., Scalzo, R., Influence of ripening stages on volatiles composition, physicochemical indexes and sensory evaluation in two varieties of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus Naud.), J. Sci. Food Agric. 85 (2005) 1241–1251. CrossRef
Baldwin E., Flavour, in: Gross K.C., Wang C.Y., Salveit M.E., The commercial storage of fruits, vegetables and florist and nursery stocks, Agric. Handb. No. 66, Washington, USA, 2002.
Lamikanra, O., Chen, J.C., Banks, D., Hunter, P.A., Biochemical and microbial changes during the storage of minimally processed cantaloupe, J. Agric. Food Chem. 48 (2000) 5955–5961. CrossRef
Villanueva, M.J., Tenório, M.D., Esteban, M.A., Mendoza, M.C., Compositional changes during ripening of two cultivars of muskmelon fruits, Food Chem. 87 (2004) 179–185. CrossRef
Chrost, B., Schmitz, K., Changes in soluble sugar and activity of $\alpha$ -galactosidases and aid invertase during muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) fruit development, J. Plant Physiol. 151 (1997) 41–45. CrossRef
Lester, G.E., Arias, L.S., Lim, M.G., Muskmelon fruit soluble acid invertase and sucrose phosphate synthase activity and polypeptide profiles during growth and maturation, J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 126 (2001) 33–36.
Zhang, M.F., Li, Z.L., Chen, K.S., Qian, Q.Q., Zhang, S.L., The relationship between sugar accumulation and enzymes related to sucrose metabolism in developing muskmelon fruits, Chin. J. Plant Physiol. Mol. Biol. 29 (2003) 455–462.
Baldwin, E.A., Scott, J.W., Einstein, M.A., Malundo, T.M.M., Carr, B.T., Shewfelt, R.L., Tandon, K.S., Relationship between sensory and instrumental analysis for tomato flavor, J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 12 (1998) 906–915.
Malundo, T.M.M., Shewfelt, R.L., Ware, G.O., Baldwin, E.A., Sugars and acids influence flavor properties of mango, J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 126 (2000) 115–121.
Welles, G.W.H., Buitelaar, K., Factors affecting soluble solids content of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.), Neth. J. Agric. Sci. 36 (1988) 239–246.
Miccolis, V., Saltveit, M.E. Jr., Morphological and physiological changes during fruit growth and maturation of seven melon cultivars, J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 116 (1991) 1025–1029.
Artés, F., Escriche, A.J., Martinez, J.A., Marin, J.G., Quality factors in four varieties of melon (Cucumis melo L.), J. Food Qual. 16 (1993) 91–100. CrossRef
Hartwing, P., McDaniel, M., Flavor characteristics or lactic, malic, citric and acetic acids at various pH levels, J. Food Sci. 60 (1995) 384–388. CrossRef
Martens M., Risvik E., Martens H., Matching sensory and instrumental analyses, in: Piggot J.R., Paterson A. (Eds.), Understanding natural flavours, Blackie Acad. Prof., Chapman and Hall, UK, 1994, pp. 60–76.
Shewfelt, R.L., Ware, G.O., Baldwin, E.A., Sugars and acids influence flavor proprieties of mango (Mangifera indica), J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 126 (2000) 115–121.