Consumer perception of apple quality

Publication date: 26/12/2022
Extent: 32 pages

Contributions by: Masoumeh Bejaei and Jennifer Arthur, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada; and Margaret A. Cliff, The University of British Columbia, Canada

Chapter synopsis: Apples are a global commodity worth $7.78 billion USD in international trade. Apple quality is a complex interdisciplinary topic. In studying consumer perception of apple quality, it is important to consider not only fruit characteristics, but other consumer-related and social environment-related factors. This chapter discusses three main factors that influence perception of apple quality: product-related, consumer-related and social environment-related factors, as well as their interactions. Product-related factors include intrinsic (e.g., appearance, texture/touch, flavor) and extrinsic (e.g., packaging design, consumer convenience, branding/trademarking) characteristics. Consumer-related factors include: psychological (e.g., food-evoked emotions, previous experience, neophobia, type of food, expectation) and physiological/biological (e.g., age, gender, overall health, sensory acuity) influences. Social environment-related factors include situational (e.g., time, physical surroundings), socio-cultural (e.g., cultural, lifestyle, purchasing habits, price) and economic influences. This chapter reviews the literature and presents schematic diagrams to assist readers in understanding the multidisciplinary topic of apple quality and the dynamic apple market.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2023.0127.01