SENSORIAL ANALYSIS AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR COLOR MEASUREMENT IN 'SATSUMA' AND 'NOVA' MANDARIN FRUIT

The external color of citrus fruit at harvest is a critical quality parameter for the fresh market and is one of the main factors to consider when the early-season citrus fruit are subjected to degreening process. The objective of this study was to develop a color chart for ‘Satsuma’ and ‘Nova’ mandarins and to analyze the relation between the external color instrumentally measured as CCI (100a/Lb) and the sensorial color evaluation. Fruits of both varieties were classified and selected to take pictures with different color indexes using the range from -24 to 7 for ‘Satsuma’ and from -21 to 10 for ‘Nova’. Charts were developed with 25 and 100 cm2 size photos for ‘Satsuma’ and ‘Nova’ respectively. The CCI was determined by the average of 4 measurements in the equatorial area of 25 fruits per variety using a colorimeter. Fruit previously photographed were evaluated by sensory panel of 12 judges. Correlation analysis was used to compare the relation. Besides the fruit previously photographed were evaluated by sensory panel of 12 judges between values indicated by the judges and the colorimeter measurements. The high correlation between CCI values and sensory evaluation (r=0.982 for ‘Satsuma’ and r=0.978 for ‘Nova’) indicated that these charts are useful and accurate for determining the external color in ‘Satsuma’ and ‘Nova’ mandarins.