What makes a fruit flavorful? Artificial intelligence can help optimize cultivars to match consumer preferences

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. Which flavors and chemical compounds make a particular variety of fruit more appealing to consumers can be identified and predicted using artificial intelligence, according to our recently published study. Flavor, defined by scientists as the interaction between aroma and taste, is chemically complex. The sugars, acids and bitter compounds in food interact with the taste receptors on our tongues to invoke taste, while volatile compounds that interact with olfactory receptors in our noses are responsible for aroma. Breeding for flavor is a difficult task for many different reasons.