QUALITY and QUALITIES in FOOD PRODUCTS

Transcription

1 INTENSIVE PROGRAMME ERASMUS Global Food Law and Quality III (GFLQIII) Viterbo, ITALY 3-16 February 2013 QUALITY and QUALITIES in FOOD PRODUCTS Riccardo Massantini Viterbo, February the 4 th 2014

2 DO THESE FRUITS TASTE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK?

3 WHAT IS QUALITY? INTRODUCTION { QUALITY is a human construct comprising many properties or characteristics { QUALITY is one of those words with unfailingly positive connotations It may be prefixed by terms like bad, poor or inferior However, in absence of such qualification the intimation is wholly positive

4 QUALITY MAY BE DEFINED DIFFERENTLY INTRODUCTION Supply chain is the combination of different CUSTOMERS Each element of the supply chain represents a customer for the previous one PRODUCERS WHOLESALERS DEALERS RETAILERS CONSUMERS Can we affirm that all these different customers have the same quality concept? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

5 PERCEPTIONS, NEEDS AND ROLES PRODUCERS Talk to any PRODUCER and they will stress the central importance of the postharvest system, which they use to secure: { information that enables them to grow and harvest intrinsically valuable crops { access to, and information about, consumers who will value the quality of the crop they have grown, often distant in terms of time and space from sites of production { ways to be able to characterize their crop that generate trust in buyers and consumers

6 PERCEPTIONS, NEEDS AND ROLES MARKETERS Talk to any fresh produce WHOLESALER, DEALER and RETAILER and they will tell you that they are managing various interconnected opportunities and avoiding their associated risks: { avoiding the oversupply { matching product to appropriate market niches { growing, segregating and delivering consistently superior quality to avoid the negative impact of variable quality

7 PERCEPTIONS, NEEDS AND ROLES CONSUMERS Talk to any CONSUMER and you will learn that they are seeking certainty that: the visual appearance of their purchases will be matched by a rewarding sensory experience at the time of consumption their produce purchases are safe, healthy and nutritious for themselves and their family their purchases are supporting a sustainable and ethically sound production system

8 QUALITY MAY BE DEFINED DIFFERENTLY CUSTOMERS { Customers have different meaning of QUALITY ACCEPTABILITY { Which in turn is conditioned by individual EXPECTATIONS PREFERENCES

9 EXPECTATIONS AND PREFERENCES CUSTOMER S SPECIFIC POINT OF VIEW 1. PRODUCERS High yield, disease resistance, ease of harvest, good appearance and few defects 2. WHOLESALER Long storage life, quite immature, firmness 3. DEALER Long/medium storage, quality appearance

10 EXPECTATIONS AND PREFERENCES CUSTOMER S SPECIFIC POINT OF VIEW 4. RETAILER Good shelf life, good appearance, high price 5. CONSUMER Good appearance, firm, good flavor and nutritional value, safety Quality is mainly defined around the consumer

11 LET s TALK ABOUT THE CONSUMER? HOW HE/SHE INFLUENCES THE QUALITY CONCEPT { QUALITY depends on consumer s perceptions, needs and goals { CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS of produce quality is not generated at a single point in time, and is continuously modified with every consumption experience { GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALS with similar values and demographics may represent consumer segments with similar expectations of quality

12 LET s TALK ABOUT THE CONSUMER? HOW HER/HIS INFLUENCES THE QUALITY CONCEPT { Quality is a multi-faceted concept Consumer uses qualities (attributes and cues) to form her/his assessment of perceived quality WHAT QUALITY ATTRIBUTES AND QUALITY CUES ARE?

13 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? QUALITY CUES (OBSERVABLE PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS) { INTRINSIC Appearance, color, shape, size and structure, etc. { EXTRINSIC Price, brand, nutritional information, production information and Country of origin, etc.

14 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? QUALITY ATTRIBUTES Quality attributes are abstracts, and can be based on { CONSUMER S EXPERIENCE e.g. freshness, taste, convenience { CONSUMER S PERCEIVED BENEFITS e.g. healthiness, naturalness, animal and/or environmental friendly

15 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? QUALITY ENCOMPASSES DIFFERENT PROPERTIES CHEMICAL NUTRACEUTICAL PHYSICAL DEFECTS PHYSIOLOGICAL SENSORIAL MOISTURE DRY MATTER DIETARY MINERALS SOLUBLE SOLIDS ACIDITY PH

16 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? CHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES { MOISTURE Free and bounded water of the product { DRY MATTER Mass of food completely dried { DIETARY MINERALS Major dietary elements: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium Minor dietary elements: iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, molybdenum, iodine, and selenium

17 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? CHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES { SOLUBLE SOLIDS Include numerous soluble organic and inorganic compounds { TITRATABLE ACIDITY Acid composition of food. It is an important parameter used in quality evaluation { PH Acids upon dissociation liberate H + ions, which are measured and expressed in terms of ph. Thus acidity and ph are related

18 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? QUALITY ENCOMPASSES DIFFERENT PROPERTIES CHEMICAL NUTRACEUTICAL PHYSICAL DEFECTS PHYSIOLOGICAL SENSORIAL NUTRITIONAL + PHARMACEUTICAL VITAMINS FLAVONOIDS PROBIOTICS

19 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? NUTRACEUTICAL ATTRIBUTES { VITAMINS Are organic compounds required by an organism as a vital nutrient in limited amounts (i.e. vitamin A, vitamin C, etc.) { FLAVONOIDS Compounds that have protective and preventive roles in the pathogenesis of certain types of cancer and several other chronic diseases (i.e. phenolic compounds like tyrosol) { PROBIOTICS micro-organisms that have claimed health benefits when consumed (i.e. yeasts and bacteria)

20 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? QUALITY ENCOMPASSES DIFFERENT PROPERTIES CHEMICAL NUTRACEUTICAL PHYSICAL DEFECTS PHYSIOLOGICAL SENSORIAL FIRMNESS TURGOR PRESSURE COLOR

21 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES { FIRMNESS Viscosity / consistency, deformation, puncture, and flexure are different aspects of firmness { TURGOR PRESSURE Healthy cells are turgid and plants rely on turgidity to maintain rigidity { COLOR Tissue response to electromagnetic radiations

22 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? QUALITY ENCOMPASSES DIFFERENT PROPERTIES CHEMICAL NUTRACEUTICAL PHYSICAL DEFECTS PHYSIOLOGICAL SENSORIAL MORPHOLOGICAL PHYSIOLOGICAL PHYSICAL PATHOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGICAL MECHANICAL

23 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? DEFECTS Defects could be external and/or internal { MORPHOLOGICAL Sprouting, rooting, floret opening { PHYSICAL shriveling { MECHANICAL bruising { PHYSIOLOGICAL Blossom end rot of tomato, bitter pit of apple { PATHOLOGICAL Fungi, bacteria, viruses { ENTOMOLOGICAL Insects caused damage

24 SENSORIAL QUALITY EXAMPLES OF DEFECTS THAT DO NOT INFLUENCE POSTHARVEST POTENTIAL OF FRESH PRODUCE { Healed frost damage { Healed scars and scabs { Well healed insect stings { Irregular shape { Suboptimal color uniformity and intensity

25 SENSORIAL QUALITY EXAMPLES OF DEFECTS THAT DO INFLUENCE POSTHARVEST POTENTIAL OF FRESH PRODUCE { Softening { Chilling injury { Sunburn & sunscald { Insect injury { Bruising { Scald { Cracks { Decay { Sprouting { Cuts, abrasions & skin breaks

26 SENSORIAL QUALITY EFFECTS OF CULTIVAR QUESTION: are there intercultivar differences in browning potential?

27 SENSORIAL QUALITY APPEARANCE AND DEFECTS: HEALED SCARS ON NECTARINE

28 SENSORIAL QUALITY APPEARANCE AND DEFECTS: RATING SCALE FOR TOMATO BRUISING

29 SENSORIAL QUALITY APPEARANCE AND DEFECTS: GRAPEFRUIT CHILLING INJURY RATING SCALE

30 SENSORIAL QUALITY APPEARANCE AND DEFECTS: APPLE BRUISING

31 SENSORIAL QUALITY APPEARANCE AND DEFECTS: MELON BRUISING

32 SENSORIAL QUALITY APPEARANCE AND DEFECTS: TOMATO CRACKING RADIAL CONCENTRIC

33 SENSORIAL QUALITY APPEARANCE AND DEFECTS: SERIOUS DAMAGES OF POTATOES

34 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? QUALITY ENCOMPASSES DIFFERENT PROPERTIES CHEMICAL NUTRACEUTICAL PHYSICAL DEFECTS PHYSIOLOGICAL SENSORIAL RESPIRATION RATE ETHYLENE PRODUCTION ETHYLENE SENSITIVITY HEAT PRODUCTION COLD STRESS RESILIENCE HOT STRESS RESILIENCE

35 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? PHYSIOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES { RESPIRATION RATE Amount of carbon dioxide produced by unit of mass per hour { ETHYLENE PRODUCTION Amount of ethylene produced by unit of mass per hour { ETHYLENE SENSITIVITY Susceptibility of tissue to the ethylene action { HEAT PRODUCTION Heat production due to respiration activity { COLD STRESS RESILIENCE Capability to contrast cold stress effects { HOT STRESS RESILIENCE Capability to contrast hot stress effects

36 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? QUALITY ENCOMPASSES DIFFERENT PROPERTIES CHEMICAL NUTRACEUTICAL PHYSICAL DEFECTS PHYSIOLOGICAL SENSORIAL APPEARANCE TEXTURE TASTE FLAVOR AROMA FRESHNESS

37 WHAT QUALITIES ARE? SENSORIAL ATTRIBUTES { APPEARANCE Size, shape, gloss, color, etc. { TEXTURE Crispy, crunchy, juicy, soft, easy-to-chew, swallow characteristics { TASTE Sensation of salt, sweet, sour, bitter and umami (savor). { AROMA It is referred to a smell sensed by receptors in the nose. { FLAVOR AND OFF-FLAVOR Combination of Taste and Aroma { FRESHNESS Embody nebulous characteristics, including physical conditions

38 SENSORIAL QUALITY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTRIBUTES QUESTION: if picked at the same maturity, is there a relationship between size and flavor?

39 SENSORIAL QUALITY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTRIBUTES QUESTION: is there a relationship between shape and other quality attributes? Shape of Various Cultivars of Carrot

40 COMPOSITION vs FLAVOR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTRIBUTES FLAVOR ATTRIBUTE Sweetness Sourness Astringency Bitterness Aroma Off-flavors Off-odors CONSTITUENTS Sugars Acids Tannins Isocoumarins Odor-active volatiles Acetaldehyde, ethanol, ethyl acetate Sulfurous compounds

41 SENSORIAL QUALITY SCORING SYSTEM FOR VISUAL QUALITY SCORE DESCRIPTION 9 EXCELLENT: Field fresh, no defects 7 GOOD: minor defects 5 FAIR: moderate defects, limit of salability 3 POOR: serious defects, limit of usability 1 VERY POOR: non-usable under usual conditions

42 COMPOSITION vs FLAVOR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTRIBUTES ACID LOW SUGAR HIGH LOW Insipid, tasteless Sweet HIGH Sour, tart Best flavor combination

43 SENSORIAL QUALITY SUMMARIZING

44 WHERE ARE THE FACTORS AFFECTING QUALITY AND QUALITIES OF FOOD? GENOTYPE PEDO-CLIMATIC CONDITIONS COLTURAL PRACTICES HARVEST TRANSPORTATION SORTING PRE-COOLING GRADING From farm..to fork!!!! WASHING TRIMMING/PEELING/CUTTING DRYING PACKAGING STORAGE TRANSPORTATION SELL PRE HARVEST FACTORS POST HARVEST FACTORS PROCESSING CONDITIONS DISTRIBUTION

45 CONCLUSIONS TRUST, COLLABORATION, HEALTH CONSCIOUSNESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARNESS AMONG CUSTOMERS ARE THE MAIN KEY INGREDIENT FOR PROMOTING EFFECTIVE QUALITY AND QUALITIES IN FOOD PRODUCTS

46 ANY QUESTIONS AND/OR COMMENTS?

47 MAIN REFERENCES { EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE ON QUALITY AND SAFETY OF FRESH CUT PRODUCE Several years and various authors (mainly 2013 year) { POSTHARVEST HANDLING, 2 ND EDITION Florkowsky et al { POSTHARVEST TECHNOLOGY OF HORTICULTURAL CROPS Kader 2008 { QUALITIES OF FOOD Harvey et al { NUTRACEUTICAL IN HEALTH AND DISEASE PREVENTION Krämer et al { PHENOLICS IN FOOD AND NUTRACEUTICALS Shaidi and Nacsk 2004 { FRESH-CUT PRODUCTS: MAINTAINING QUALITY AND SAFETY U.C Davis, postharvest technology, (CA) USA 2011