Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Texture analysis in an apple progeny through instrumental, sensory and histological phenotyping

  • Published:
Euphytica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Phenotypic analysis of texture traits was performed in an apple progeny by three complementary approaches: two classical instrumental measurements (compression and penetrometry), sensory assessment and histological screening. The progeny was composed of 141 individuals harvested over 2 years. Sensory and instrumental texture were assessed at harvest and after 2 and 4 months of cold storage. Histological screening was performed by combining macro-vision of outer parenchyma sections and image analysis on fruits after 2 months storage. Harvest year was observed to have a major impact on texture phenotypes followed by storage and genetic factors. Principal component analysis of data from the instrumental texture evaluations showed that the two methods complemented each other in characterizing the texture of the apple progeny. Compression parameters correlated better than penetrometry variables with sensory descriptors related to crispness, firmness, and graininess. Cell size distribution differentiated individuals in the apple progeny. It correlated with instrumental texture analyses and with juiciness perception. All measured texture related traits showed that they were all under genetic control with high heritability values. Higher values were obtained for fruits after 2 months storage. These results provide ground for future search of new apple texture QTLs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbott JA, Lu R (1996) Anisotropic mechanical properties of apples. Trans ASAE 39:1451–1459

    Google Scholar 

  • Abbott JA, Watada AE, Massie DR (1984) Sensory and instrumental measurement of apple texture. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 109:221–228

    Google Scholar 

  • Alamar MC, Vanstreels E, Oey ML, Molto E, Nicolai BM (2008) Micromechanical behaviour of apple tissue in tensile and compression tests: storage conditions and cultivar effect. J Food Engin 86:324–333

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allan-Wojtas P, Sanford KA, McRae KB, Carbyn S (2003) An integrated microstructural and sensory approach to describe apple texture. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 128:381–390

    Google Scholar 

  • Barreiro P, Ortiz C, Ruiz-Altisent M, De Smedt V, Schotte S, Andani Z, Wakeling I, Beyts PK (1998) Comparison between sensory and instrumental measurements for mealiness assessment in apples. A collaborative test. J Texture Stud 29(5):509–525

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Billy L, Mehinagic E, Royer G, Renard CMGC, Arvisenet G, Prost C, Jourjon F (2008) Relationship between texture and pectin composition of two apple cultivars during storage. Postharvest Biol Technol 47:315–324

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brummell DA (2006) Cell wall disassembly in ripening fruit. Funct Plant Biol 33:103–119

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Camps C, Guillermin P, Mauget JC, Bertrand D (2005) Data analysis of penetrometric force/displacement curves for the characterization of whole apple fruits. J Texture Stud 36:387–401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Camps C, Guillermin P, Mauget JC, Bertrand D (2007) Discrimination of storage duration of apples stored in a cooled room and shelf-life by visible-near infrared spectroscopy. J Near Infrared Spec 15:169–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chauvin MA, Ross CF, Pitts M, Kupferman E, Swanson B (2010) Relationship between instrumental and sensory determination of apple and pear texture. J Food Quality 33(2):181–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corey LA, Matzinger DF, Cockerham CC (1976) Maternal and reciprocal effects on seedling characters in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Genetics 82(4):677–683

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Costa F, Stella S, Van de Weg WE, Guerra W, Cecchinel M, Dallavia J, Koller B, Sansavini S (2005) Role of the genes Md-ACO1 and Md-ACS1 in ethylene production and shelf life of apple (Malus domestica Borkh). Euphytica 141:181–190

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Costa F, Van de Weg WE, Stella S, Dondini L, Pratesi D, Musacchi S, Sansavini S (2008) Map position and functional allelic diversity of MD-Exp7 a new putative expansin gene associated with fruit softening in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh) and pear (Pyrus communis). Tree Genet Genomes 4:575–586

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa F, Alba R, Schouten H, Soglio V, Gianfranceschi L, Serra S, Musacchi S, Sansavini S, Costa G, Fei Z, Giovannoni J (2010a) Use of homologous and heterologous gene expression profiling tools to characterize transcription dynamics during apple fruit maturation and ripening. BMC Plant Biol 10:229

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costa F, Peace CP, Stella S, Musacchi S, Bazzani M, Sansavini S, Van de Weg WE (2010b) QTL dynamics for fruit firmness and softening around an ethylene-dependent polygalacturonase gene in apple (Malus domestica Borkh). J Exp Bot 61:3029–3039

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Daillant-Spinnler B, MacFie HJH, Beyts PK, Hedderley D (1996) Relationships between perceived sensory properties and major preference directions of 12 varieties of apples from the southern hemisphere. Food Qual Pref 7:113–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Belie N, Hallett I, Harker FR, De Baerdemaeker J (2000) Influence of ripening and turgor on the tensile properties of pears: a microscopic study of cellular and tissue changes. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 125:350–356

    Google Scholar 

  • Devaux M-F, Bouchet B, Legland D, Guillon F, Lahaye M (2008) Macro-vision and grey level granulometry for quantification of tomato pericarp structure. Postharvest Biol Technol 47:199–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dhliwayo T, Pixley KV, Kazembe V (2005) Combining ability for resistance to maize weevil among 14 Southern African maize inbred lines. Crop Sci 45:662–667

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duprat F, Grotte M, Loonis D, Pietri E (2000) Etude de la possibilité de mesurer simultanément la fermeté de la chair et de l’épiderme des pommes. Sci Alim. 20:253–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durel CE, Laurens F, Fouillet A, Lespinasse Y (1998) Utilization of pedigree information to estimate genetic parameters from large unbalanced data sets in apple. Theor Appl Genet 96:1077–1085

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2009) FAOSTAT. http://faostat.fao.org/site/339/default.aspx

  • Goulao LF, Oliveira CM (2008) Cell wall modification during fruit ripening: when a fruit is not the fruit. Trends Food Sci Technol 19:4–25

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grotte M, Duprat F, Loonis D, Pietri E (2001) Mechanical properties of the skin and the flesh of apples. Int J Food Prop 4:149–161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harada T, Kurahashi W, Yanai M, Warkasa Y, Satoh T (2005) Involvement of cell proliferation and cell enlargement in increasing the fruit size of Mallus species. Sci Hortic 105:447–456

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harker FR, Redgwell RJ, Hallett IC, Murray SH, Carter G (1997a) Texture of fresh fruit. Hort Rev 20:121–224

    Google Scholar 

  • Harker FR, Stec MGH, Hallett IC, Bennett CL (1997b) Texture of parenchymatous plant tissue: a comparison between tensile and other instrumental and sensory measurements of tissue strength and juiciness. Postharvest Biol Technol 11:63–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harker FR, Maindonald J, Murray SH, Gunson FA, Hallett IC, Walker SB (2002) Sensory interpretation of instrumental measurements 1: texture of apple fruit. Postharvest Biol Technol 24:225–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haro RPA, Julia MMC, Reyes-Valdes MH (2007) Maternal determination of oil content in sunflower seeds. Rev Fitotec Mex 30:39–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Holt JE, Schoorl D (1984) Mechanical properties and texture of stored apples. J Texture Stud 15:377–394

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ingle M, Morris JC (1989) Predicting firmness changes of ‘Rome’ apples in refrigerated storage. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 114:90–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Ioannides Y, Howarth MS, Raithatha C, Defernez M, Kemsley EK, Smith AC (2007) Texture analysis of red delicious fruit: towards multiple measurements on individual fruit. Food Qual Pref 18:825–833

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwanami H, Moriya S, Kotoda N, Takahashi S, Abe K (2005) Influence of mealiness on the firmness of apples after harvest. Hortscience 40:2091–2095

    Google Scholar 

  • Iwanami H, Moriya S, Kotoda N, Abe K (2008a) Turgor closely relates to postharvest fruit softening and can be a useful index to select a parent for producing cultivars with good storage potential in apple. Hortscience 43:1377–1381

    Google Scholar 

  • Iwanami H, Moriya S, Kotoda N, Takahashi S, Abe K (2008b) Estimations of heritability and breeding value for postharvest fruit softening in apple. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 133:92–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaeger SR, Andani Z, Wakeling IN, Macfie HJH (1998) Consumer preferences for fresh and aged apples: a cross-cultural comparison. Food Qual Pref 5:355–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston JW, Hewett EW, Hertog MLATM (2002) Postharvest softening of apple (Malus domestica) fruit: a review. N Z J Crop Hortic Sci 30:145–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kang MS, Zhang Y, Magari R (1999) Combining ability for rind puncture resistance in maize. Crop Sci 39:368–371

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khan AA, Vincent JFV (1990) Anisotropy of apple parenchyma. J Sci Food Agric 52:455–466

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khan AA, Vincent JFV (1993) Anisotropy in the fracture properties of apple flesh as investigated by crack-opening tests. J Mat Sci 28:45–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King GJ, Maliepaard C, Lynn JR, Alston FH, Durel CE, Evans KM, Griffon B, Laurens F, Maganaris AG, Schrevens E, Tartarini S, Verhaegh J (2000) Quantitative genetic analysis and comparison of physical and sensory descriptors relating to fruit flesh firmness in apple (Malus pumila Mill.). Theor Appl Genet 100:1074–1084

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kingston CM (1992) Maturity indices for apple and pear. Hort Rev 13:407–432

    Google Scholar 

  • Kouassi AB, Durel CE, Costa F, Tartarini S, Van de Weg E, Evans K, Fernandez–Fernandez F, Govan C, Boudichevskaja A, Dunemann F, Antofie A, Lateur M, Stankiewicz-Kosyl M, Soska A, Tomala K, Lewandowski M, Rutkovski K, Zurawicz E, Guerra W, Laurens F (2009) Estimation of genetic parameters and prediction of breeding values for apple fruit-quality traits using pedigreed plant material in Europe. Tree Genet Genomes 5:659–672

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laurens F, Audergon JM, Claverie J, Duval H, Germain E, Kervella J, LeLezec M, Lauri PE, Lespinasse JM (2000) Integration of architectural types in French programs of ligneous fruit species genetic improvement. Fruits 55:141–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin T-T, Pitt RA (1986) Rheology of apple and potato tissue as affected by cell turgor pressure. J Texture Stud 17:291–313

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mann H, Bedford D, Luby J, Vickers Z, Tong C (2005) Relationship of instrumental and sensory texture measurements of fresh and stored apples to cell number and size. Hortscience 40:1815–1820

    Google Scholar 

  • Mehinagic E, Royer G, Bertrand D, Symoneaux R, Laurens F, Jourjon F (2003) Relationship between sensory analysis, penetrometry and visible—NIR spectroscopy of apples belonging to different cultivars. Food Qual Pref 14:473–484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehinagic E, Royer G, Symoneaux R, Bertrand D, Jourjon F (2004) Prediction of the sensory quality of apples by physical measurements. Postharvest Biol Technol 34:257–269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oey ML, Vanstreels E, De Baerdemaeker J, Tijskens E, Ramon H, Hertog MLATM, Nicolai B (2007) Effect of turgor on micromechanical and structural properties of apple tissues: a quantitative analysis. Postharvest Biol Technol 44:240–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oraguzie N, Hofstee M, Brewer L, Howard C (2001) Estimation of genetic parameters in a recurrent selection program in Apple. Euphytica 118:29–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitts MJ, Cavalieri RP (1988) Objective assessment of apple maturity based on starch location. T ASAE 31:962–966

    Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team (2010) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. http://www.R-project.org

  • Redgwell RJ, Fischer M (2002) Fruit texture, cell wall metabolism and consumer perceptions. In: Knee M (ed) Fruit quality and its biological basis. Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield, pp 46–88

    Google Scholar 

  • Rojas AM, Gerschenson LN, Marangoni AG (2001) Contributions of cellular components to the rheological behaviour of kiwifruit. Food Res Int 34:189–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samano GD, Rincon SF, Ruiz TN, Espinoza VJ, De Leon CH (2009) Genetic effects of direct and reciprocal crosses obtained from two germplasm group lines in maize. Rev Fitotec Mex 32:67–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Schotsmans W, Verlinden BE, Lammertyn J, Nicolai B (2004) The relationship between gas transport properties and histology of apple. J Sci Food Agric 84:1131–1140

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shmulevich I, Galili N, Howarth MS (2003) Nondestructive dynamic testing of apples for firmness evaluation. Postharvest Biol Technol 29:287–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soille P (2005) Beyond self-duality in morphological image analysis. Image Vis Comput 23:249–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tong C, Kureger D, Vickers Z, Bedford D, Luby J, El-Shiekh A, Schackel K, Ahmadi H (1999) Comparison of softening-related changes during storage of ‘honeycrisp’ apple, its parents, and ‘delicious’. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 124:407–415

    Google Scholar 

  • Varela P, Salvador A, Fiszman S (2007) Changes in apple tissue with storage time: rheological, textural and microstructural analyses. J Food Engin 78:622–629

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vincent JFV (1989) Relationship between density and stiffness of apple flesh. J Sci Food Agric 47:443–462

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Volz RK, Harker FR, Lang S (2003) Firmness decline in ‘Gala’ apple during fruit development. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 128:797–802

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Dominique Bertrand (INRA–BIA, Nantes, France) for helpful discussions; R. Looten, X. Falourd (INRA–BIA), M. Lormeau, R. Robic (INRA–GenHort, Angers, France) for their technical help. This work has been partly funded by the EU FP6 ISAFRUIT program (contract N FP6-FOOD 016279-2). Doctoral studies of D. Gálvez-López were supported by CONACYT México (fellow 194867).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. INRA, UMR1259 Génétique et Horticulture, BP 60057, 49071, Beaucouzé, France

    Didiana Gálvez-López & François Laurens

  2. INRA, UR1268 Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages, BP 71627, 44316, Nantes, France

    Didiana Gálvez-López, Marie Françoise Devaux & Marc Lahaye

Authors
  1. Didiana Gálvez-López
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. François Laurens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marie Françoise Devaux
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marc Lahaye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marc Lahaye.

Electronic supplementary material

About this article

Cite this article

Gálvez-López, D., Laurens, F., Devaux, M.F. et al. Texture analysis in an apple progeny through instrumental, sensory and histological phenotyping. Euphytica 185, 171–183 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-011-0507-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-011-0507-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation