The peach marketing value reflects the consumer appreciation and demand. To understand the relationship between the value of different cultivars and the characteristics responsible for their taste, makes it is essential to stablish the marketing strategy to increase peach consumption and the basis for genetic improvement. In this work it was measured the taste characteristics of two cultivars and two varietal series most produced in Paranapanema county, the major producer in the state of São Paulo: the varietal series 'Aurora' and 'Dourado'' and the varieties 'Douradão' and 'Tropic Beauty'. The marketing values at the Holambra Veiling System, reverse auction house, were studied during peach high season (October 15th to November 15th 2004). The taste was characterized by the fruit chemical characteristics (soluble solids (SS) and titratable acidity content (TA), and the ratio SS/TA) collected at Sao Paulo Terminal Market. - CEAGESP. There were no differences between the medium soluble solids of the two varietal series and the two varieties studied. The titratable acidity and the ratio SS/TA have showed statistical differences. The variety 'Douradão' has showed the biggest ratio, followed by the varietals series 'Dourado' and 'Aurora' and by the variety 'Tropic Beauty'. The ratio differences, did not determine statistical difference value between the cultivars and varietal series studied, of the same size. In all cultivars and varietal series, there were statistical difference values between the different sizes.
Prunus persica; quality; taste; marketing value
