Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52EUROPEAN-SEED.COM I EUROPEAN SEED I 7 Chartier considers flavour a crucial trait in their melon pro- grams: “… but it is very complex as flavour is a multisensorial experience of which taste is only one of the parameters. Around 50 to 500 volatile compounds are involved in melon taste, and HM.CLAUSE is focused on maintaining the distinctiveness of the traditional types (Charentais, Spanish melons, Ananas….) as opposed to prioritizing sugar content and shelf life over taste.” Kuijpers says taste is indeed crucial. “Marketing research has shown that a not-satisfied consumer will not buy another melon for at least two months. We focus a lot on taste, the ratio of the different sugars and acids being key in our breeding pro- gram. But it is not all about the perfect tasting melon. We would rather develop a melon variety that always has a good taste than a perfect tasting melon but more difficult to grow or to ship.” ES: How do you measure flavour? De Langen says he measures flavour by physical-chemical anal- ysis. “Actually, some of the ‘physical’ parameters of flavour in melon can be measured quite easily and consistently (pH meter, refractometer, penetrometer, texture meter and chromameter).” Chemical analyses are needed for aroma profiling and under- standing of the diversity in aroma profiles. “Finally, consumer panels are needed to check which attributes we need, to have the highest consumer’s satisfaction/likings.” Den Hertog says the Dutch Wageningen University has developed an independent model for measuring taste. “It con- nects functional aspects like sugar content, firmness and juici- ness to how the fruits are valued by a consumer.” He adds that their breeders use this model to compare varieties. It helps them to make choices in their selection work. Foncelle underlines that taste and flavour are crucial and states they “measure flavour by using consumer or expert panels and with biochemical methods.” ES: How has the yield increase been over the past years? Yield is almost always the number one priority, says Kuijpers. ”Except for some niche products, a grower will not grow a variety with a very good taste if it does not reach a minimum production level. The other way around is also true, a very high producing variety with a bad taste will not be accepted in the market. Melon is a species with only a limited number of fruits per plant. To increase the yield we should try to get an extra fruit or increase the size per fruit. The latter is not feasible as market demands are strict on size. So we try to get an extra fruit per plant. Steps have been made but that is difficult to express in percentages.” Pleguezuelo agrees, stating both yield and resistance are equally important, and farmers should find a safe and friendly variety to grow those good quality melons, which are produc- tive enough for a profitable business. “How much the yield has increased is quite difficult to answer precisely as commercial yields are quite variable and very sensitive to climatic condi- tions,” says Pleguezuelo. “Through a good knowledge of the varieties and applying the technologies in a correct way, many farmers have been able to increase yield by 15 to 20 per cent in these last 10 years.” Den Hertog explained that next to taste and shelf life, effi- ciency for the market is something that needs to be worked on. “A good product costs money, so our challenge is to keep the taste on a high level, and at the same time to increase efficiency. We do this, for example, by improving fruit setting, so we can increase the yield per square meter. And also by improving the so called field flexibility of the crop. If a grower needs less cycles to harvest all the fruits of a certain field, it saves him a lot of labour.” Chartier states, “We are looking at optimizing commercial yield components for grower and shipper: harvest uniformity (size classes), harvest window (days), harvest concentration, quality stability. There are regional differences, which depends on slots, growing conditions, and disease and pest pressure.” What determines FLAVOUR? • AROMA - everything we smell through our nose, direct or retro nasal through our mouth • TASTE - there are five basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami-savory) • TRIGEMINAL SENSATION caused by the trigeminal nerve, responsible for e.g., pain, temperature, and touch, but not taste. This includes hot, cold, spicy, tingling and electric sensations. • TEXTURE - soft vs. firm, juicy, gritty, stringy, etc. • COLOUR - influences a person’s flavor perception/expectation Source: F. de Langen, HM. CLAUSE Photos Manuel Garcia Mejillas, Enza Zaden.