NZ apple industry body Pipfruit NZ is conducting research to find out what it is that sets the taste of New Zealand apples apart.
“We want people in the market to have an eating experience that says ‘I want more of the same’," said Mike Butcher, Pipfruit NZ technical manager at a grower seminar last week.
To find out just what that taste is, Pipfruit NZ has linked up with farm consultancy AgFirst in the project to test taste and eating quality of NZ Braeburn. “Braeburn is the archetypical fruit of New Zealand,” said Butcher. “We want to determine what makes it better than anybody else’s.”
A panel of grower and student tasters has been engaged to carry out the taste and texture tests on Braeburn through the harvest and storage season. The panel is testing two grower lines of Braeburn at different rates of maturity from 80 to 120 days.
Butcher warned that if the eating experience is not good enough, consumers will not buy again.
Meanwhile, Pipfruit NZ growers have voted overwhelmingly in support of continuing to pay a levy to fund research and development as well as market access lobbying and other industry-wide activities. Pipfruit NZ chairman, Ian Palmer expressed delight at the vote, which required support by more than half of growers in number and volume terms. “The vote was 85 per cent in favour by production and 82 per cent by number of voters,” said Palmer. “That’s a real vote of confidence.
“We can now plan with confidence for the resolution of such targets as access to Australia and Japan, and ultra low residue production systems.
“Our immediate priority is to examine the industry’s investment in new variety company Prevar. This absorbs a big chunk of the levy. We have agreed to undergo a consultation with the industry to work out how we participate in the future.”
The levy is set each year by special general meeting, and is NZ$0.01 a kilo on all apples and pears sold as fresh fruit. The meeting to determine next year’s rate will be held in November. The body has budgeted on receiving NZ$2.9 million in levy funds this year and will spend $2.2m directly on R&D.
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