In order to increase the satisfaction of fruit consumers, it is important to define the eating quality of fresh peaches and nectarines on the basis of consumer requirements and acceptance. With regard to eating quality, stone fruit flavour depends on a delicate balance of sugars, acids and aroma volatile compounds; a number of additional factors, such as pulp texture, also influence perceived quality. This research focuses on the evaluation of standard quality parameters and aroma volatile compounds of 11 peach and nectarine cultivars and their influence on consumer acceptance. Fruits of 'Early Rich', 'M-104', 'Elegant Lady', 'August Red', 'Royal Glory', 'Honey Royale', 'Venus', 'Big Top', 'Nectagala', 'Honey Blaze' and 'Nectalady' were picked at commercial harvest and analysed after 2 days at 20 degrees C. A partial least square regression model (PLS1) was run in an attempt to correlate volatile compound emission and standard quality parameters to consumer acceptance and to thereby find the variables with the most weight for discriminating between cultivars. Higher acceptance scores, expressed as higher degrees of liking, were mainly associated with greater soluble solids contents and with higher emissions of delta-decalactone, gamma-dodecalactone, 1-pentanol, butyl octanoate, pentyl acetate, 2-methylpropyl hexanoate and ethyl octanoate.
