Damage index assessment of dried sultanas by various sorters

• D.G. Pohlner ^[1] ; J. Reynolds ^[2] ; R.J. Hayes ^[1] ; M.R. Mollah ^[1]
  1. [1] Sunraysia Horticultural Centre, Agriculture Victoria
  2. [2] Australian Food Industry Science Centre
• Localización: Australian journal of grape and wine research, ISSN 1322-7130, Vol. 2, Nº 1, 1996, págs. 41-46
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Damage to the skin of dried sultanas is a quality defect. It is determined at present by the ‘damage index’, a visual estimate of the intensity of staining with ferrous sulfate. In the trial here reported, dried sultana berries were passed through a coning machine at three speeds (300, 600 and 900 rpm) to cause slight, moderate and heavy skin damage. Four sorters assessed independently, on five occasions, the ‘damage index’ of these three batches, and of two further batches of berries blended in varying proportions (by weight) from berries of the three damage classes. Statistical analyses tested the variation amongst sorter scores and any sorter by batch interaction. The results indicated variability among sorters and, for any one sorter, among the repeated assessments of each sample. It is concluded that subjective assessment of skin damage to sultanas is prone to give variable results which could be improved by assessment being made by one sorter only, particularly in experimental work. If several sorters are used, they need to be selected on the basis of their consistency and trained appropriately. A more reproducible method of objectively determining skin damage of dried sultanas, such as video image analysis, should be developed.