Parameters for apple quality and an outline for a new concept of quality

Summary

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. The commonly used concept of quality in relation to food, with its emphasis on external appearance and nutritional content is not sufficient for organic products and their market. In response a quality concept known as ‘vital quality’ has been developed based on the life processes (growth and differentiation) and corresponding product attributes (vitality, structure and coherence). The research project presented is based on the evaluation of the quality of apples, specifically cultivated for the research project with variation in picking date, bearing, sun exposure, bio-dynamic preparations and ageing after storage. Quality measurements included traditional methods used routinely to assess apple quality and also experimental parameters which are expected to be relevant for vital quality. The experimental parameters appeared to supplement the traditional parameters in a consideration of quality. The concept of ‘vital quality’ is a valuable one for the consideration of wider aspects of quality within organic farming systems and should be further developed