Morphological, nutraceutical and sensorial properties of cultivated Fragaria vesca L. berries: influence of genotype, plant age, fertilization treatment on the overall fruit quality

Authors

• Massimo Del Bubba University of Florence http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6326-6549
• Edgardo Giordani Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Science, Viale delle Idee, 30 – 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence (Italy)
• Claudia Ancillotti Department of Chemistry, Via della Lastruccia, 3 – 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence (Italy)
• William Antonio Petrucci Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Science, Viale delle Idee, 30 – 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence (Italy)
• Lorenzo Ciofi Department of Chemistry, Via della Lastruccia, 3 – 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence (Italy)
• Daniele Morelli Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Science, Viale delle Idee, 30 – 50019 Sesto Fiorentino
• Cristian Marinelli Promofirenze Azienda Speciale della Camera di Commercio di Firenze, Via Castello d’Altafronte, 11 – 50122 Firenze
• Leonardo Checchini Department of Chemistry, Via della Lastruccia, 3 – 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence (Italy)
• Sandra Furlanetto Department of Chemistry, Via della Lastruccia, 3 – 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence (Italy)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.56867

Keywords:

total polyphenols, radical scavenging activity, vitamin C, organic acids, strawberry

Abstract

Sucrose, glucose, fructose, citric, malic, ascorbic (AA) and dehydroascorbic (DHAA) acids, total polyphenols (TP), radical scavenging activity (RSA), physicochemical and sensorial properties were determined on F. vesca Alpine (ALP) and Regina delle Valli (RDV) berries in relation to plant age and fertilisation treatment (Effective Microorganism Technology, EMT vs. traditional fertilization, TFT). ALP berries had a sum of AA and DHAA about 20% lower and TPs about 30% higher than RDV. Plant age affected most physicochemical parameters, sugars and organic acids, as well as sensorial appreciation, being them generally higher in berries produced in the second year. TPs were not affected by plant age. EMT produced an increase of 50%, 70% and 20% for TP, organic acids and RSA, respectively. Although changes in berry quality are expected with plant age, EMT cultivation of ALP should be preferred to the growth of RDV under TFT, to obtain fruits more valuable from the nutraceutical viewpoint.