In recent decades, packaged fruit has gained market ground over loose fruit, and fruit containers have become a source of information for consumers. This study approaches three objectives related to consumer information needs for decision making when purchasing fruit: (1) Determine if consumers’ choice of packaged fruit rather than loose fruit is motivated by their interest in the information provided on packaging; (2) identify information gaps on fruit packaging labels; (3) identify those sensory attributes that consumers consider to be of major interest to be included in sensory labels of different fruit types. The study was based on an online questionnaire answered by 394 fruit consumers. Ninety percent of the participants stated having an interest in receiving information when purchasing fruit, but their choice between packaged or loose fruit was not conditioned by their information needs. Moreover, a gap between information interest and information use was detected as their final purchase decisions were not always based on the provided information. ‘Harvest date’, ‘production method’, ‘percentage of the price received by the farmer’, ‘applied treatments’, ‘sensory characteristics’, and ‘environmental information’ were identified as the major information gaps, as these labels were unavailable for a high percentage of consumers, who stated their interest in them. According to consumers, sensory labels should include information about ‘sweetness’ and ‘flavor intensity’ irrespectively of fruit type. ‘Sourness’ and ‘juiciness’ attributes were particularly interesting for citrus, as ‘sourness’ and ‘firmness’ were for kiwi. Information about texture properties was required for pome and stone fruit. Other attributes, such as easiness to peel, were important only for citrus fruit.

Growing consumer awareness about the environmental impact of their food purchase decisions means having to create labels that better communicate sustainability aspects. The aim of this study is to explore consumers’ responses to “sustainable irrigation” (SI)-labeled wine. To this end, the effect of two label factors, SI claims (no SI info, logo, and text), and their position (front- vs. back-labels) on consumer choice, reasons for choice, perceived sustainability, and willingness-to-pay is determined. Moreover, we determine, for the first time, for SI claims, the relationship between consumer choice and paid attention. Our results reveal that almost 90% of the 408 consumers participating in this study show an interest in the SI-labeled wines. The main reason for choosing the SI-labeled wines rather than the control (no SI info-label) was the following: ‘I think it’s more environmentally friendly’, with an increase of two points on a nine-point sustainability perception scale. Consumers prefer the logo-label to the text-label, mainly because they find it more attractive, and a close relationship between paid attention and product choice probability is determined. The vast majority of consumers are willing to pay an extra cost of 15% or more for SI-labeled wine vs. the control. These results have relevant implications for the industry because they show that the SI logo is a useful way to draw consumers’ attention to the sustainability of irrigation practices and positively affect their choice. Our findings indicate that this way of differentiating the product in the market can contribute to compensating the economic cost of implanting SI practices.

This study aimed to evaluate the concentrations of the main macroelements in leaves and fruit grown following organic and conventional practices, and to relate them to physico-chemical parameters during commercial fruit harvests. Three samplings were carried out during fruit maturation. Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) were determined in leaves and in two fruit flesh areas: basal and apical. Weight, color, firmness, soluble tannins (ST), and total soluble solids (TSS) were also evaluated in fruit. During the study period, the lowering leaf N concentration was accompanied by its increment in flesh. Leaf P and K lowered but did not imply changes in these concentrations in fruit. N, P, and K concentrations were higher in the apical area than in the basal flesh. No changes in Ca concentration occurred in leaf, but Ca translocation from the basal to the apical area was detected in fruit. Management affected the concentrations of leaf K and Mg and the fruit N, P and Ca. The agronomic efficiency of the macronutrients in the organic crops was superior to that in the conventional crops. The Ca and Mg and the N/Ca and Ca/(K+Mg) ratios were closely related to color, firmness, TSS, and ST content.

Today, the ‘Rojo Brillante’ persimmons undergoing prolonged storage are treated with giberellic acid, which allows the delay of the harvesting to November-December. Although during this period the fruit maintained high commercial firmness, practical experience indicates very different behavior during the posterior cold storage, depending on the harvest moment. To explain what leads to these differences, an in-depth study of the physicochemical and microstructural changes occurring in the fruit during five commercial harvest times from November to December was carried out. During this period, slight variations in firmness occurred, ranging from 48 to 40 N. Nevertheless, the fruit behavior under cold storage was strongly influenced by the harvest date, which was explained by the degradation of cell wall, cell membrane and tonoplast, mainly noted in fruit from the latest harvests. Therefore, the fruit harvested with firmness close to 48 N had a highly structured cell, which maintained firmness during cold storage for up to 90 days. The fruit harvested with 43 N presented a more degraded structure, while the fruit with initial firmness around 40 N underwent major ultrastructure cell wall and membranes modifications, which led to greater firmness loss. Therefore, the fruit firmness at harvest is decisive for its storage potential.

This study evaluated the relation between rind colour and the internal physicochemical and sensory qualities of ‘Sanguinelli’ blood oranges, one of the main blood orange cultivars grown in the Mediterranean region. To this end, 400 fruits were harvested in three different orchards and classified according to rind pigmentation intensity (slight, medium, intense, very intense). All fruits were individually evaluated by determining rind and pulp colour, total soluble solids, acidity, maturity index, juice yield, firmness, and size. Moreover, 71 consumers performed a triangle test to evaluate if fruit sensory properties depended on rind pigmentation. Our results revealed (for the first time) that pulp pigmentation and total soluble solid (TSS) content strongly depend on rind colouration. Among the fruit from the same orchard, the redder the pigmented fruit was (externally) the deeper the red pulp, and the higher the TSS became. This pattern was corroborated in the three orchards under study. Other characteristics, such as acidity, juice yield, firmness, and fruit size, did not depend on external pigmentation. Sensory studies showed that the more coloured the fruit, the higher the accumulated sugar content; consumers perceive these fruits as being sweeter than slightly pigmented ones. This information can be very useful for the citrus industry as external colour may become a quality index for blood oranges, as well as for consumers to make purchase decisions.