Blueberry Flavor Preferences With Patricio Muñoz, Ph.D.

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), sits down with University of Florida blueberry breeder Patricio Muñoz, Ph.D., to talk about flavor. This was recorded live at the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) Global Produce and Floral Show in Orlando, Florida. 

“The way we do it is every cultivar we release is usually run for sensory panels up to three years. So 300 people have tested this fruit and have given their opinion on if they like it or not. ” - Patricio Muñoz, Ph.D.

“We are able to, using artificial intelligence and machine learning, train a model to be able to predict what people will like based on all this data we put together.” - Patricio Muñoz, Ph.D.

Topics covered include: 

• How the University of Florida collects data on flavor to guide its blueberry breeding program.
• The factors that influence overall blueberry flavor.
• How all of this knowledge informs tools like the “flavor wheel” for blueberries.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today, you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on November 16, 2022.