Your fruit is gonna get tastier — and you’ve got AI to thank for it
This algorithm predicts how consumers will rank flavor in fruits
Why it matters
Flavor plays animportant rolein which varieties of fruit people choose to eat. We believe that our models can help plant-breeding programs develop more flavorful varieties of fruit by making it easier to determine what objectively makes one variety taste better than another without needing to gather large consumer panels. By identifying exactly what influences how people perceive flavor, plant breeders can focus on optimizing for a specific chemical compound instead of a more subjective rating of flavor.
What still isn’t known
Becausegenetic and cultural factorsgreatly influence taste preferences, it’s likely that flavor preferences will also vary among different ethnic and geographic groups. While our results may be representative for the average U.S. consumer, they may not predict consumer preferences as accurately in Asia, for example. Breeding fruit varieties for specific markets might require additional testing of our flavor database.
What’s next
The next steps include breeding fruits to increase the key volatile compounds that determine how much a consumer likes a particular variety.
Our team has previously shown that modern commercial varieties of tomatoes containedsignificantly lower levelsof many important chemicals that make heirlooms more flavorful. Restoring these chemicals to the same levels as heirlooms and testing whether that makes these commercial varieties more flavorful is an ongoing area of study.
How we do our work
Our lab groups have spent decades developing a framework to understand the genetics and biochemistry of fruit flavor. We conduct highly interdisciplinary research with psychologists, food scientists, geneticists, biochemists, and plant breeders.
In our research, we start by identifying what chemicals in a fruit are responsible for flavor preferences. We then determine how the plant makes those chemicals and develop a genetic road map to control how the plant produces these chemicals. Finally, we use molecular breeding to produce flavorful varieties that consumers can fully appreciate.
This article byMarcio Resende, Assistant Professor of Horticultural Sciences,University of Florida, andHarry J. Klee, Professor of Horticultural Sciences,University of Floridais republished fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.
Story byThe Conversation
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