Flavor Components and Quality Attributes

Abstract

Crisp, fragrant, and tart are words used to describe the experience of eating an apple—a very good apple indeed. A bad one, on the other hand, will invoke words like mealy, rancid, and flat. These words, and many more like them, are linguistic expressions of our reactions to the physical and chemical properties of apples. It is important to keep in mind that apples, like all plant tissue, are composed of millions of different chemical compounds. When we eat an apple, some of its chemical constituents react with receptors in the nose to cause the perception of odor; others react with receptors on the tongue to create the perception of taste; and still other chemicals form large physical structures that are detected by “touch” receptors in the mouth. As we chew an apple, some physical structures produce sounds that become another part of our perception of texture. Therefore, chemicals create the flavor, color, and texture of apples; they determine the sensory quality of apples. Quality control of apple sensory attributes requires measurement of the chemical and physical features that humans detect with their senses. For two reasons, this is no simple task.