A Sensory and Chemical Analysis of Fresh Strawberries Over Harvest Dates and Seasons Reveals Factors That Affect Eating Quality

The aim of this study was to understand the flavor components of eating quality of several strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) genotypes grown in Florida over two harvest seasons. Five selections and one cultivar of the University of Florida Breeding program as well as two new cultivars from Australia ('Rubygem' and 'Sugarbaby') harvested on different dates from the same grower were evaluated by sensory evaluation. 'Festival', the main strawberry cultivar grown in Florida, had low ratings for flavor and sweetness in January and March. Selection FL 00-51 and 'Rubygem' had relatively high and consistent ratings for flavor and sweetness compared with the other selections. Genotypes with low flavor ratings were always judged as "not sweet enough" by the panelists, thus linking flavor to sweetness preference. Instrumental analysis confirmed that typically these selections had low soluble solids content (SSC) and/or high titratable acidity (TA), thus explaining their lack of sweetness. Volatile compounds that varied only quantitatively did not seem to influence the flavor rating except for 'Sugarbaby'. This cultivar contained between seven and 40 times less total ester content than the other selections and was disliked by panelists despite its high sugar content and perceived sweetness. It was perceived as having an artificial peach- or blueberry-like flavor. A principal component analysis was performed with chemical parameters (SSC, TA, and volatile content) and selections over the two harvest seasons. Chemical composition was mainly influenced by harvest date, except for FL 00-51. This selection maintained high volatile content and SSC throughout the seasons, explaining consistently high flavor ratings.