title: Evaluation of the sensory characteristics of strawberry cultivars throughout the harvest season using projective mapping.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Strawberry breeding programs should be able to rely on valid and simple methodologies for evaluating sensory quality of new cultivars. In this context, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the applicability of a simple sensory methodology, named projective mapping, to evaluate the sensory characteristics of strawberry cultivars and advanced selections throughout the harvest season. Three strawberry cultivars and two advanced selections were evaluated by an untrained assessor panel using projective mapping in three different moments of the harvest season: June (early season), August (mid-season) and September (peak harvest). Instrumental measurements were also performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Projective mapping enabled the identification of the main sensory characteristics of the strawberry cultivars and advanced selections, as well as the similarities and differences among them. Sensory characteristics of the five evaluated strawberry cultivars and advanced selections largely varied throughout the harvest season. Simple instrumental measurements were not able to predict the sensory characteristics of the strawberry cultivars, suggesting the importance of sensory methodologies for the evaluation of new cultivars in breeding programs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Projective mapping consisted of a quick alternative for the evaluation of new cultivars relative to standard commercial cultivars. Its main advantage is that a large number of cultivars can be screened with minimal investment of time and resources.
authors.affiliation: Programa Nacional de Producción Hortícola, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria, INIA Salto Grande, Salto, Uruguay.
authors.forename: Esteban
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vicente
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Varela
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Saldamando
authors.forename: Gastón
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ares
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001947:Breeding; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D031985:Fragaria / Q000235:genetics*; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012621:Seasons; D013045:Species Specificity; D013649:Taste; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Fragaria × ananassa Duch; consumer profiling; cultivar evaluation; projective mapping; sensory characterization