A team of researchers from the University of Huelva has managed to identify the cultivation factors that allow producers to obtain strawberries with better properties and flavor, after relating the quality of these berries, based on sensory indicators such as sweetness, aroma, or the fruit's shape, with nutritional indicators provided by their chemical composition.
For two years, the researchers used analytical and statistical techniques to analyze the chemical composition of more than 60 samples of different strawberry varieties, specifically the Aromas, Camarosa, Diamante, Medina, and Ventana varieties. Upon comparing these strawberries with their corresponding genetic identity, grown in soilless systems, and collected at different times of the year, researchers discovered how their sensory qualities change and were able to correlate them with each campaign's climatic conditions.
"We have noted how their composition changed depending on climatic factors such as temperature, solar radiation or rainfall, as well as factors related to the strawberry variety being grown, the crop, and the time of year in which it is harvested," stated the researcher from Huelva, María Angeles Fernandez Recamales.
Physical and nutritional characteristics
According to the researcher's work "Multichemical profiling of strawberry as a traceability tool to investigate the effect of cultivar and cultivation conditions," which was published in Foods magazine, the data they extract from the chemical composition of strawberries can establish the number of sugars that will influence the flavor of the fruit; the levels of anthocyanins, involved in the intensity of the fruit's color, or the levels of polyphenols, which have antioxidant properties and, therefore, are beneficial for health.
Among other things, the researchers were able to establish via chemical analysis that the Camarosa and Ventana varieties have the best nutritional qualities, while the Aromas and Ventana varieties have a brighter and more intense color. "The results of this work will allow producers to choose what properties they want his strawberries to have and will guide them to cultivate them in optimal conditions," said the researcher from Huelva.
The researchers also said that the analyzes they made could also be used to evaluate the food safety of the production process by tracking the fruit from its origin until it reaches the table, guaranteeing its quality.
In their subsequent projects, the research team will test if this methodology allows them to find specific qualities in the fruit depending on the geographical area of origin. "We could use the origin of the strawberry and establish differences between the qualities of the strawberry from Huelva when compared to the strawberry of other countries, such as Turkey or Morocco," the researcher stated.
Source: Europa Press / lavanguardia.com