Exploring consumer perception and sensory quality of new purple cherry tomato hybrids with health-promoting potential.

The success of a new cultivar depends not only on agronomic performance against biotic and abiotic stresses, but also on its consumer acceptance. In vegetable products, such as cherry tomatoes, sensory attributes like color, flavor, and texture are decisive for the purchase decision. In the breeding program of the Laboratory of Vegetable Breeding (LMH/ESALQ-USP), seven purple cherry tomato hybrids (PTH14, PTH23, PTH27, PTH35, PTH46, PTH57, and PTH67) are being developed. Their coloration is conferred by the presence of anthocyanins in the peel, bioactive compounds that classify these fruits as foods with nutraceutical potential. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptability and sensory perception of these hybrids compared to commercial red cherry tomato cultivars (Sweet Heaven, Iracema, and Zamir). The materials were grown in two agricultural cycles under distinct environmental conditions, and two independent sensory analyses were conducted. The experimental design adopted was the balanced incomplete block design, in which each volunteer evaluated three of the ten genotypes using a nine-point hedonic scale (1 = disliked extremely; 9 = liked extremely). The attributes of shape, aroma, color, flavor, sweetness, acidity, texture, and overall quality were evaluated. 65 volunteers participated in the first analysis and 133 in the second, with information on cherry tomato consumption profiles also being collected. The data were analyzed by Cumulative Link Mixed Models (CLMMs), considering the fixed effects of hybrid, growing cycle, experimental block, consumption order, and the hybrid × cycle interaction, in addition to the random effect of the evaluators. As there was no change in the preference ranking between cycles, the interaction was excluded from the final model. Significant differences among hybrids were observed for all variables, except texture and acidity. The hybrids PTH35, PTH46, and PTH57, along with the red cultivars, stood out as the preferred and with the highest purchase intention. In contrast, PTH14, PTH23, PTH27, and PTH67 showed inferior performance in most sensory attributes. Overall quality was the attribute most associated with purchase intention, being strongly influenced by the flavor and sweetness scores. In total, 82% of the volunteers stated they would buy purple cherry tomatoes, and 31% would be willing to pay up to 10% more for them, showing market potential for products differentiated by color and functional appeal. The results indicate that the hybrids PTH35, PTH46, and PTH57 show high sensory acceptance and are promising for release as new cultivars. The overall quality variable proved to be fundamental for understanding consumer preference and should be included as a relevant criterion in the formulation of selection indices in tomato breeding programs focused on the consumer market.