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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Citrus and Other Subtropical Products Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #334861
Research Project: Quality, Shelf-life and Health Benefits for Fresh, Fresh-cut and Processed Products for Citrus and Other Tropical/Subtropical-grown Fruits and Vegetables

Location: Citrus and Other Subtropical Products Research

Title: Postharvest and sensory evaluation of selected ‘Hass’x‘Bacon’ and ‘Bacon’x ‘Hass’ avocado hybrids grown in East-Central Florida

Author
item Pisani, Cristina
item RITENOUR, MARK - University Of Florida
item Stover, Eddie
item Plotto, Anne
item Alessandro, Rocco
item Kuhn, David
item Schnell Ii, Raymond

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/6/2017
Publication Date: 6/1/2017
Citation: Pisani, C.N., Ritenour, M.A., Stover, E.W., Plotto, A., Alessandro, R.T., Kuhn, D.N., Schnell II, R.J. 2017. Postharvest and sensory evaluation of selected ‘Hass’x‘Bacon’ and ‘Bacon’x ‘Hass’ avocado hybrids grown in East-Central Florida. HortScience. 52(6):880-886. https://doi:10.21273/HortSci.11375-16.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21273/HortSci11375-16

Interpretive Summary: As avocado consumption continues to increase in the United States, a study evaluated hybrids of 'Hass' x 'Bacon' that have potential to grow under Florida environmental conditions. Ten hybrids were identified with good horticultural traits, and were selected for tasting in sensory panels. All hybrids except one were comparable to commercial 'Hass' avocados, indicating potential interest for these hybrids in east-central Florida.

Technical Abstract: Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) is a high-value fruit that continues to increase in consumer demand. A population of ‘Hass’-‘Bacon’ hybrids was planted at USDA-ARS, Fort Pierce as part of a study to find selections with good horticultural and postharvest quality traits for Florida. Extensive phenotypic data on quality was collected over 3 years. Ten selections were identified in 2014 and 2015 with promising fruit quality and postharvest shelf life characteristics, and were tested in sensory panels using store-bought ‘Hass’ as the standard. In general, the selections had fruit quality similar to commercial ‘Hass’. Avocados that were most liked were described as creamy in texture, and buttery and nutty in flavor. Only one selection (R7T54 in 2014) and a store-bought control (‘Hass’ in 2015) were disliked, which was associated with greater firmness at the time of evaluation, likely relating to insufficient postharvest conditioning. Furthermore, the minimum dry matter percentages required at harvest for commercial avocados in California were achieved by these selections under Florida conditions, ranging from 18.4% to 25.7% versus 20.8% for ‘Hass’. This study identified ten selections with composition and sensory quality similar to ‘Hass’ and suitable for further testing and development as potential Florida cultivars.