Winter squash (Cucurbita maxima) texture: Sensory, chemical, and physical measures

Abstract

Significant differences were found in a wide variety of textural attributes in eight winter squash cultivars (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne) assessed at 4–5 and 9–10 weeks after harvest using both a trained sensory panel and an Instron Universal Testing Machine. The Instron texture profile analysis force‐displacement curves were distinctive for each of the eight cultivars tested, with behaviour under deformation forces indicating differences in the structure and composition of the tissue. Starch and logged dry matter contents varied significantly between cultivars, and were strongly correlated with all the sensory textural attributes rated, and with gumminess and hardness (dry matter only) measured by the Instron. Simple linear regressions indicated significant relationships between textural attributes as measured by the sensory panel and the Instron.

Keywords:

• sensory
• buttercup squash
• winter squash
• texture