Assessing Harvest and Post Harvest Fruit Quality in Blueberry

Blueberry is a soft fruit species for which consumption has increased drastically in the last two decades. The rapid increase in consumption is mainly driven by the health benefits and pleasant flavour of the fruit. However, consumers assess fruit quality in terms of flavour, texture and aroma and use these features as the main criteria for purchasing product. Nonetheless, there is a lack of study for these quality traits for blueberry at harvest and post harvest stages. Therefore, this project aims to develop a method for assessing fruit quality using analytical platforms, comparing new potential varieties (i.e., breeding selections) with established commercial varieties and developing novel technologies to improve postharvest blueberry quality.

Faculty Supervisor:

Simone Diego Castellarin;Anubhav Pratap Singh

Student:

Maryam Shojaei

Partner:

British Columbia Blueberry Council

Discipline:

Food science

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of British Columbia