Research seeks answers to what pear consumers want

A trio of Washington State University and Oregon State University researchers will discuss a project designed to guide the northwest pear industry on what varieties consumers prefer during a web seminar.

The seminar, at 10 a.m. Pacific Aug. 16, will look at extensive research conducted last winter for the project, Consumer Preferences for Pears.

The study is designed to consider which pear characteristics consumers in the Pacific Northwest prefer, their willingness to pay for these varieties and overall consumer pear purchase behavior.

The researchers undertaking the industry-funded study who will present the web seminar are:

Carolyn Ross, WSU professor and director of the Sensory Evaluation Facility in the School of Food Science, within the college of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resource Sciences;

Anna Colonna, sensory program director at OSU’s Food Innovation Center in Portland; and

Karina Gallardo, professor in the WSU School of Economics at the Puyallup Research and Extension Center.

The study used WSU students to evaluate 20 pear varieties for specific attributes of aroma, texture, taste, mouth feel and appearance. At OSU, 120 pear consumers sampled six to eight varieties each in blind tests, followed by questions about characteristics of the fruit and how much they would pay them.

More information on the Aug. 16 web seminar, including a link to the event, is available online.