Fruit quality profiling of blueberries for parental choice in breeding: aroma and texture at harvest and in postharvest

Parental choice is a key process in blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) breeding. This holds in particular for traits that are still poorly defined and known like flavour and texture but that are crucial for consumer acceptance. Breeding selection of these traits is generally based on non-analytical observations assessed at a unique time point. The aim of this work was to obtain a high throughput quality profiling of blueberries at harvest and postharvest, with regard to two complex and commercially important traits like aroma/flavour and texture, in order to unravel the variability present in the germplasm and use the information for breeding advancements. We profiled 60 accessions among which different species of Vaccinium: southern, northern, lowbush, half-high blueberries and rabbiteyes. The analyses were carried out at harvest and after storage, at2°C for three and six weeks at normal atmosphere conditions, in order to monitor the dynamics of the different parameters of the traits for each genotype. Texture was measured by Texture Analysis and the volatile profile by Proton Transfer Reaction TimeofFligh Mass Spectrometry (PTRToFMS). Data have been evaluated and are reported with particular regard to an explanatory knowledge toward an optimized parentals choice for quality in blueberries breeding programs at harvest and postharvest.