Determination of the Sensory Characteristics of Rose Apples Cultivated In Thailand

Rose apple, an economic fruit in Southeast Asia, has potential as an export to western countries where its special attributes are better known to consumers. This research studied sensory characteristics of 8 rose apple varieties using highly trained panels and a defined sensory lexicon. A total of 9 sensory attributes including rose apple identity (ID), fruity, overall sweet, overall sour, bitter, firmness, cohesiveness of mass, astringent, and pulpy residue were present in all rose apple samples, but at different intensities for each variety. Only 5 attributes (floral/perfumy, green, spongy, initial crispness, and sustained crispness) were found in most samples, and were absent in a few samples; and "characteristic" attributes (rose, peel like, spicy, woody, earthy, starchy, and mealy) were detected in only 1 or a few samples. Based on their sensory characteristics, the rose apples being examined were categorized into 3 clusters. Rose apples in this study that are popularly cultivated and consumed including Pet-Num-Ping, Toon-Klao, Tub-Tim-Jun, Pet-Sai-Rung, and Pet-Sam-Pran, all of which were grouped together in cluster 3. They all had a crispy texture, but were very bland in flavor. Ma-Meow (cluster 1) and Num-Dok-Mai and Sa-Rak (cluster 2), which are not as popular, did not have a crispy texture; however, they did have the characteristic flavors of floral/perfumy and rose. The rose apples in cluster 3 might become better accepted if they had the flavor notes similar to those in cluster 1 and 2.