Sensory and Chemical Flavor Analyses of Tomato Genotypes Grown in Florida during Three Different Growing Seasons in Multiple Years

Thirty-eight tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) genotypes were analyzed for sensory attributes “sweet,” “sour,” and “overall flavor” over 7 years, one to three seasons per year (March, June, and December) as well as for physical and chemical flavor-related attributes including color, sugars, acids, and aroma volatiles (6–7 years). Principal component analysis of the data of nine genotypes showed that for harvest season, December-harvested fruit were generally associated with more acids and sourness perception and less sugars and sweetness perception and, therefore, lower overall flavor ratings compared with June-harvested fruit. March-harvested samples were intermediate. Despite the seasonal variations, there were significant differences between genotypes for sensory perception of sweetness, sourness, and flavor, between seasons for sourness and flavor, and between years for flavor, with some interactions between genotypes, seasons, and years. In addition to sugar and acid measurements, 29 aroma volatiles were evaluated in 33 genotypes over the seasons. Eleven volatiles were found to positively correlate with flavor perception and 13 enhanced flavor along with the soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio in a two-predictor model, providing aroma targets for breeders. Among the genotypes evaluated most frequently were the Florida industry standard ‘Florida 47’ and University of Florida hybrid ‘Fla. 8153’ which was released in 2006 and is now marketed as Tasti-Lee ® . ‘Florida 47’ was almost always rated lower for sweet and overall flavor compared with ‘Fla. 8153’. On a 1–9 hedonic scale, where 1 was least sweet, sour, or flavorful and 9 was most sweet, sour, or flavorful, average scores over the 7 years were 3.8 and 5.1 for sweet and 4.1 and 5.7 for overall flavor for ‘Florida 47’ and ‘Fla. 8153’, respectively. Other genotypes related to ‘Fla. 8153’, including its parents, were also rated high for sweet and overall flavor compared with ‘Florida 47’ and other commercial cultivars grown in Florida. Correspondingly, sugar measurements were higher, while acid measurements were slightly lower for ‘Fla. 8153’ compared with ‘Florida 47’. Thirteen out of 29 aroma compounds showed differences between these two genotypes, with eight being higher in ‘Fla. 8153’ (including many fruity/floral notes) and four higher in Florida 47 (C-5 and C-6 aldehydes and alcohols giving green notes). This provides a useful chemical model for two genotypes that differ in flavor quality that can be exploited by breeders seeking to improve flavor.