By Kirk W. Pomper
The Kentucky State University/PawPaw Foundation Pawpaw Workshop was the setting for a pawpaw variety taste test on September 11, 2004. This was an informal taste test without strict guidelines; however, some interesting trends are noticeable in the preferences of the people who participated in the tasting experience.
How was the test conducted? Each participant received a copy of the accompanying evaluation sheet, and slices of the pawpaw varieties were available on plates on a table. About 100 people attended the workshop; however, as can be noted in the “n” column above, between five and 33 people tasted each selection. Participants were not required to taste all the selections; therefore, some people may have tasted only a subset of the selections. Whole uncut fruit were also placed on each plate with the cut slices, so the size and appearance of the fruit, as well as pulp color, could have influenced whether a person chose to taste the paw-paw variety.
The greatest number of people ranked the pawpaw variety NC-1 in the excellent category. The selections Shenandoah, 1-7-2, 4-2, and K2-7 all received at least ten excellent ranking by participants. The former two selections, 4-2 and 1-7-2, will be released by Neal Peterson in the near future as new cultivars. Both K2-7 and K8-2 fared well in the taste test; these selections will be released as new cultivars this year by KSU.
Participants also commented on particular taste attributes. Many people have stated in the past that they believe that Overleese has a melon aftertaste; five of the 33 people who evaluated Overleese indicated that they detected a melon aftertaste. The melon aftertaste is a positive attribute for some people and a negative attribute for others.
| PAWPAW FLAVOR | ||||||||
| Selection | 1 Excellent | 2 Good | 3 Fair | 4 Poor | 5 Awful | Melon aftertaste | Bitter aftertaste | n* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shenandoah | 14 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 33 | |||
| 1-7-2 | 14 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 32 | |||
| 4-2 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 28 | |
| 7-90 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29 |
| 10-35 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 27 | |
| Overleese | 8 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 33 | |
| PA-Golden | 4 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 27 | |
| Zimmerman | 5 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 28 | |
| NC-1 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 31 | |
| Prolific | 4 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 27 | |
| Taylor | 6 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 28 | ||
| Taytwo | 2 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 23 | |
| Sweet Alice | 4 | 11 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 29 | |
| Middletown | 5 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 23 |
| Wells | 1 | 3 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 23 |
| K2-7 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 28 | |
| K8-2 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 28 | |
| Mitchell | 2 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 21 | ||
| Shawnee trail | 9 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 21 | ||
| Susquehana | 5 | 5 | ||||||
The chart above shows the numbers for each of the pawpaw varieties that were tasted and rated by workshop participants.
on particular taste attributes. Many people have stated in the past that they believe that Overleese has a melon aftertaste; five of the 33 people who evaluated Overleese indicated that they detected a melon aftertaste. The melon aftertaste is a positive attribute for some people and a negative attribute for others. to the taste test. This could have caused a decline in fruit quality; however, we did note generally poor flavor and an astringent quality in fresh PA-Golden fruit this year. We do not recall PA-Golden fruit having this poor flavor previously. We will be tracking year to year variation in fruit flavor in the future.
Since PA-Golden is a very early ripening variety, the fruits from this cultivar were held in the refrigerator in self-sealing plastic bags for about two weeks prior Only limited quantities of the pawpaw variety Susquehanna were available; however, the five people who tasted it all ranked it in the excellent category.
From the Pawpaw Patch is an occasional newsletter published by the PawPaw Foundation and distributed to its members. We welcome your letters, articles, suggestions, and advertisements. This issue was edited and designed by Neal Peterson and Colleen Anderson.