The effect of fruit cultivar/origin and storage time on sorbets quality

• The effect of two different cultivar or origin from six fruits (mandarin, lemon, melon, mango and strawberry) on overall quality of sorbets, was studied.
• Cultivar or origin of the fruits had no influence on overall quality of produced sorbets.
• Storage for 21 days at -18 ºC did not affect sensory characteristics of lemon, orange, melon, strawberry and mango sorbets.

Fruit quality is one of the main factors that influence the sorbets’ quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of two different cultivars of five fruits (mandarin, lemon, melon and mango) or origin (strawberries) on the overall quality of sorbets, right after being produced and after being preserved for 21 days at −18 °C. Total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA) and firmness were used to characterize the fruits. Colour, pH, antioxidant capacity (AC) and total phenolic content (TPC), as well as sensory attributes, were evaluated on fruits and respective sorbets. Fruit processing led to a loss of TPC and AC. Nevertheless, no significant changes were observed on sorbets over storage time. In spite of chemical, physical and sensorial differences registered among fruits from different cultivars or origin, the sensory profiles of sorbets from the same pair of studied fruits are very similar.Multivariate analysis clearly shows that the sorbets produced maintain the same sensorial quality regardless of the cultivar or the origin of the fruits.