The seven-nation European project BreedingValue is aimed at enhancing the value of fruits such as strawberry, blueberry and raspberry, and involves seven nations Italy, France, Germany, Spain, UK, Finland and Turkey.
One of the activities of the project, conducted between March and July 2022, and led by the Institute of Bioeconomics of the CNR, with the support of European partners, was to engage consumers through a multilingual online survey to understand the liking of the fruits studied in the project, compared to other popular fruits.
More than 900 consumers participated in the survey, and the most popular fruit among the 18 proposed was strawberry, with raspberry in fourth place and blueberry in fifth. Excellent placings then for these 'up-and-coming' fruits.
In second place was the cherry, with an average rating of 6.1 out of 7.
The cherry is, among the most liked fruits, in third place in Turkey, second place in France and the United Kingdom, almost equal to the strawberry for Spanish consumers, and first place for Italian consumers (rating 6.4 out of 7).
In Germany, the whole podium is for the berry: strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, in that order, with the cherry in fourth place.
Only in Finland is the cherry not among the top 10 most popular fruits, but the difference between the opinions of consumers in the different countries gives an idea that the online survey was conducted carefully and with a desire to offer honest individual judgements.
The survey, it is important for the research, to segment consumers according to preferences and expectations, highlighted the high appreciation for berries, but also showed how the cherry, together with the peach (in third position
according to international ratings ... and second in Italy ahead of the strawberry), is an important reference when it comes to taste, quality and the pleasure of eating fruit.
27 Jun 2023
The scientific research we present today was conducted in Sichuan Province (China). Photosynthetic characteristics, physiology and biochemistry of the fruits were analyzed, as well as fruit transcriptome.
02 Jan 2024
Researchers at Michigan State University (USA) provide a comprehensive analysis of the flower development of sour cherries. Numerous transcriptional studies have shown that the regulation of flower initiation in rosaceous species is significantly influenced by hormonal balance.
03 Sep 2026
The British cherry season faces extreme heat and yields at 70–80% of a normal crop, while fruit quality remains high. England's harvest falls to five weeks, as Scotland extends UK supply into September and the market continues to benefit from solid consumer demand overall.
03 Sep 2026
A Hungarian study on two sour cherry cultivars shows that the growing season affects bioactive compounds more than cultivar or farming method, influencing polyphenols, anthocyanins, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity and highlighting the importance of harvest timing.
