Sensory acceptance and qualitative analysis of fruits in papaya hybrids

Abstract

Over the last three years, Brazil has been ranked among the three largest producers of papaya. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptance and commercial standard of papaya fruits according to their sensory traits and provide information about the organoleptic and qualitative aspects of the fruit. Ten papaya genotypes grown in Linhares-ES were investigated, arranged in a randomized block design with four replications. Ten fruits from each genotype were randomly collected from each replication, which totaled 40 fruits per genotype. The fruit harvest was performed at stage 1 of maturation. The following genotypes were assessed: hybrids UC13, UC14, UC15 and UC16, from the ‘Solo’ group; hybrids UC03, UC10 and UC12, from the ‘Formosa’ group; and ‘Golden’, ‘Calimosa’ and ‘Tainung 01’, which were used as controls. The sensory evaluation of the genotypes was carried out in full balanced design by 50 evaluators. When submitted to sensory analysis, the hybrids showed high performance compared to the controls of each group. Traits such as aroma, flavor and overall impression were crucial in the selection carried out by the appraisers of the hybrids assessed. The hybrids UC10, UC12, UC14 and UC16 were the most accepted and preferred, respectively, in purchase intention.