Apple Quality Testing in Five Market Centers Using the MDT-1 Agricultural Penetrometer

The Red Delicious has for many years represented the ideal apple and has been a symbol of consistent crispness and delicious flavor. However, changes in the way Red Delicious varieties are bred, distributed, and sold threaten to displace the Red Delicious apple from its central role in the industry. One important component in this shift is the trend in the last decade of breeding Red Delicious varieties for appearance rather than texture, flavor, or shelf life. Another component is the Washington State practice of selling last year’s crop before selling the new crop, which delays selling of the new harvest until February. This requires that the majority of the apples sold in the early part of the season come from CA storage. Our research shows that these apples, often sold as “new crop,” can be overripe and show other signs of poor management. Finally, poor stock rotation in the grocery store further erodes the likelihood that Red Delicious apples of consistently high quality will reach the consumer. Millions of dollars spent on industry advertisements touting the consistent quality of Washington Red Delicious apples, but without substantive change geared at making those claims a reality, have only served to further tarnish the reputation of the Red Delicious apple. As result, many consumers now consider the Red Delicious to be an apple that may not be worth buying and have lost confidence in apples in general as a fruit to bring home for the family to eat and enjoy.