Christian Hilaire, French stone fruit researcher, is working to define stone fruit taste indicators for retail use to help consumers. Scientists at the Balandran research station in southeastern France are studying stone fruit eating qualities and consumer satisfaction to help growers and retailers deliver a more desirable product. “Eating quality is very complex,” said Christian Hilaire, stone fruit researcher at the Balandran Technical Institute Center for Fruits and Vegetables. “Eating quality combines several factors, including sugar, aroma, acidity, juiciness, and firmness, but not all the factors are controllable.” Growers can’t control the weather, which can impact eating quality attributes, but […]