CSIRO researchers have developed a new variety of drying grape - with a distinct muscat flavour and no seeds.

The new variety, called Sunmuscat, is larger than the common Sultana variety and has been going through tests at Merbein, near Mildura, for more than a decade. Sunmuscat is seen as a major boost to Australia's export of dried grape products, already worth almost $70m dollars annually.

"Sunmuscat has a distinct muscat taste, with comparable sweetness to Sultana but is sweeter than existing seeded raisin grapes - and it's seedless. These characters give it an edge in both the Australian and Asian markets," said CSIRO Plant Industry researcher Peter Clingeleffer.

"Sunmuscat will quickly find its way into products such as breakfast cereals and snack foods," said Mr Clingleffer.

"Sunmuscat grapes are less prone to splitting when mature in wet seasons; and are well-suited to modern, labour-saving method of drying on the vine - cutting the fruiting canes and leaving the grapes to dry on the trellises where they are grown," Mr Clingeleffer said.

The variety has been selected from many different strains tested at Merbein, and has been developed jointly by the CSIRO and the Dried Fruits Research and Development Corporation (DFRDC), which supports the new variety development program.

This coming season will mark the first large-scale, commercial trial of the new variety, with over 15 hectares planted by 70 different growers in the Mildura area. By early next autumn, approximately 35-40 tonnes of Sunmuscat raisins will be test-marketed, giving Australian consumers their first taste of the new grape.

"Research has shown that Asian markets favour sweet, muscat-flavoured fruit, which should give the new variety an export boost.

"The fact that Sunmuscat grapes are seedless gives them a great advantage over raisins, whose seeds have to be removed mechanically. Mechanical seed removal leaves punctures in the skin, which can lead to juice leakage; crystallisation; and storage, handling and appearance problems," Mr Clingeleffer said.

More information from:
Peter Clingeleffer or
Katrina Nitschke 02 6246 5323 or mobile 018 633 334