Assessment of sweet cherry fruit quality according to the requirements of the modern market

Assessment of commercial properties of sweet cherry fruit determines the competitiveness of fresh fruit in the modern market. The selection of cultivars with the highest number of high-quality fruits to meet the preferences of all stakeholders is relevant. The purpose of this study was to substantiate the commercial indicators for assessing the quality of sweet cherry fruit of three ripening periods and to select the most competitive cultivars for sustainable supply of fresh fruit to the modern market. The methods used in the study were field, laboratory, and comparative. The commercial properties of 33 sweet cherry cultivars of early, middle, and late ripening were determined. The sweet cherry fruits of the cultivars under study were divided into two commercial classes according to fruit size and defects. The fruits were analysed for the following defects: cracked, scarred, and browned skin. The amount of non-standard sweet cherry fruit production for each cultivar was determined. For each ripening period of sweet cherry varieties, the average value of the volume of fruits of classes I-II and non-standard products was established. A general trend towards an increase in the amount of high-quality fruit raw materials for late-ripening cultivars was identified. The most valuable cultivars of early (Skazka and Zabuta), medium (Uliublenytsia Turovtseva and Temp) and late (Anons) ripening were identified, which provided the maximum number of class I fruits. The maximum production was determined in the Merchant (early ripening), Cordia (medium ripening) and Karina (late ripening) cultivars. The lowest volume of non-standard products was found in cultivars of different ripening periods – Skazka, Prostir, and Anons. The fruit classification into commercial classes can be used to evaluate the fruit of sweet cherry cultivars and determine the possibility of using them fresh, for long-term chilled storage and for various further processing methods