Varietal differences in the texture of grape berries measured by penetration tests

Penetration tests were made on 8 mm thick flesh sections from grape berries of 22 cultivars of Vitis vinifera L. and 18 of Vitis labruscana Bailey. Deformation at the first major peak (DFP), maximum force (MF), force at the first major peak (FFP) and work to the first major peak (WFP) were recorded. High correlation coefficients were obtained between the rating of difficulty of breakdown on mastication in the sensory tests and DFP (r=0.86**), and the rating of flesh firmness in the sensory test and MF (r=0.84**). The mean value and variance of DFP and WFP were significantly higher in V. labruscana than in V. vinifera, whereas those of MF were nearly the same. DFP and MF were not correlated for V. vinifera cultivars, but were for V. labruscana cultivars (r=0.68**). These results indicate that the texture of V. labruscana had a wide variation in toughness whereas that of V. vinifera was brittle and did not have a wide variation in toughness; both groups had the same variation in firmness.