Mary Lu Arpaia and David Obenland
This study aims to define sensory attributes of California-grown ‘Hass’ avocado fruit. We will achieve this goal through a combination of sensory panel and HPLC-MS work to examine the relationship between changing perceptions of avocado fruit quality and measurable fruit volatiles. We believe that these results will aid our understanding of minimum and maximum maturity levels of Californian grown ‘Hass’ and ultimately lead to a refinement of the current standards for minimum maturity. This data will also be extended to an examination of postharvest handling practices on eating quality as well as being incorporated into the avocado variety improvement program as marker assisted breeding techniques are further refined