Genetics of fruit sensory preferences (AS19003)

What’s it all about?

This investment is exploring current consumer preferences, purchasing and consumption patterns and the part that fruit sensory qualities (such as taste, smell, look and feel) contribute to these behaviours. This information will be used to enhance the delivery of breeding programs, ensuring that they are working to improve varieties for both the producer and the consumer.

The underlying biological contributors to these sensory qualities will be profiled and the genetics of each explored, with this information funnelled into levy-funded breeding programs such as mango, papaya, pineapple and strawberry.

These insights will allow the co-development of consumer and producer-related traits, adding efficiency to these programs and allowing them to deliver superior varieties to market sooner. By identifying new opportunities for premium or niche varieties of produce, this may add substantial value to some industries.