Scientists zero in on genetic traits for best blueberry taste

Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have taken a step toward breeding tastier blueberries with a three-year study that examined the traits desired by consumers.

Now, they have specific breeding targets to improve flavor.

For a study published Sept. 17 in the online journal PLOS ONE, UF/IFAS Plant Innovation Center scientists harvested 19 cultivars of blueberries and tested them in 30 panels at the UF sensory lab. The diverse group of cultivars allowed researchers to test a wide range of blueberry flavors, said Jim Olmstead, UF/IFAS associate professor of horticultural sciences.

Of the 217 people who taste-tested the blueberries, many were repeat panelists, said Olmstead, who led the experiment. As a result of the high participation level, researchers were able to determine which biochemical compounds were most closely associated with blueberry flavor and that people liked the most.

With blueberries, scientists can make clones of each cultivar, so the same plant – with the same set of genetic characteristics – can be grown in different environments and under different farm management practices, Olmstead said.

But as a breeder, Olmstead said he can select cultivars for higher or lower levels of a taste compound if it has a high level of genetic control.

“We put the same genetics in different environments to determine which compounds were the most stable,” Olmstead said.

This study builds on one last year in which UF/IFAS scientists found that consumers prefer blueberries’ taste over their nutritional value when surveyed about blueberry preferences. Both of these studies are part of an ongoing group effort by multi-disciplinary scientists in the UF/IFAS Plant Innovation Center to make new fruit cultivars that appeal to consumers because they look, smell and taste better.