Yige Xu, Xin Wei, Youchun Liu, Liu Cheng
This study investigated the dynamic changes in fruit color, texture and quality attributes of blueberry cultivars during a 15-day postharvest storage period to provide theoretical insights for cultivar selection, postharvest preservation and commercial evaluation. Phenotypic and quality traits, including color parameters (CIE-Lab*), texture attributes (Note: hardness represents firmness and is an indicator in the Brookfield’s texture analyzer), adhesive force and physicochemical indices, were systematically analyzed using a colorimeter, texture analyzer and conventional methods. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were applied to evaluate postharvest performance. Southern highbush cultivars, including ‘EB 9-2’, ‘Meadowlark’, ‘Primadonna’, ‘Eureka’ and ‘Camellia’, exhibited superior comprehensive quality, characterized by small fruit shape index, minimal scar sizes and stable hardness dynamics. During the storage period, ‘Legacy’ demonstrated optimal color stability (ΔE < 3.5 from days 0–15), while ‘EB 9-2’ showed the most significant hardness increase. Scar size, fruit shape index and flesh elasticity were identified as key indicators for analyzing shelf-life hardness variations, offering scientific guidance for cultivar selection and postharvest management.