Quality Assessment and Enhancement of Sweet Cherry Cultivars

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium) quality is determined by a suite of sensory, physicochemical and nutritional attributes that together define consumer acceptance, postharvest performance and market value. Key quality parameters include fruit size, firmness, skin colour, sweetness (total soluble solids), acidity and aroma, combined with health-promoting compounds such as polyphenols and anthocyanins. Assessment methods range from simple measurements of weight, firmness and sugar–acid balance to advanced metabolomic or spectroscopic profiling of primary and secondary metabolites. Enhancement of cherry quality draws on classical breeding, rootstock–scion selection, precision horticultural practices (for example fertilisation, thinning and irrigation), protective coverings and growth regulator or nutrient sprays. Recent advances increasingly integrate physiological understanding of water relations, cuticular properties and osmotic potential with genetic and molecular insights into fruit development and stress resilience. These multidimensional approaches address issues such as rain-induced fruit cracking, uneven maturation and rapid quality loss during transport. Globally, improved cultivars and management techniques support year-round supply chains, reduce postharvest losses and enhance the nutritional and sensory appeal of sweet cherries for fresh-fruit markets and processing industries.

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Quality Assessment and Enhancement of Sweet Cherry Cultivars publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in quality assessment and enhancement of sweet cherry cultivars across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Cracking index: The proportion of fruits exhibiting skin fissures under rainfall or high-humidity stress, indicating susceptibility to water uptake and mechanical failure.

Total soluble solids (TSS): A measure of dissolved sugars and other soluble substances in fruit juice, expressed in °Brix, used as an indicator of sweetness.

Polyphenols: A broad class of plant secondary metabolites, including flavonoids and anthocyanins, that contribute to antioxidant capacity and fruit colour.

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP): A storage technique that alters the composition of gases surrounding the fruit to slow respiration and delay spoilage.

Osmotic potential: The force driving water movement into the fruit, influencing susceptibility to cracking and texture changes.

Scion–rootstock interaction: The physiological and biochemical compatibility between the above-ground cultivar (scion) and the rootstock, affecting nutrient uptake, vigour and fruit quality.

References

1. Orchard Net Covers Improve Resistance to Cherry Cracking Disorder. Foods (2023).
2. Factors Affecting Quality and Health Promoting Compounds during Growth and Postharvest Life of Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.). Frontiers in Plant Science (2017).
3. 1H NMR Metabolic Fingerprinting to Probe Temporal Postharvest Changes on Qualitative Attributes and Phytochemical Profile of Sweet Cherry Fruit. Frontiers in Plant Science (2015).
4. Thinning Methods to Regulate Sweet Cherry Crops—A Review. Applied Sciences (2022).