Nutritional and Nutraceutical Quality of Strawberries in Relation to Harvest Time and Crop Conditions

Three strawberry varieties cultivated in soilless systems were studied for their content of primary and secondary metabolites in relation to harvest time and crop conditions. The three varieties were chosen based on their sensitivity level to environmental stress: Palomar (very sensitive), Festival (sensitive), and Camarosa (resistant). Throughout the campaign, three samplings were performed: December (extra-early production), January, and March (early production). Differences among cultivars and harvest times were observed based on the contents of sugars, organic acids, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity. The higher levels for total anthocyanins and flavan-3-ols were found in Camarosa and Festival strawberries, both in the January harvest. The Palomar variety showed higher total sugar/total organic acids ratio in the March harvest. The influence of cultivation practices and environmental conditions was assessed by nested ANOVA and PLS-DA. Differences in the sugar and phenolic content were observed depending upon variety and coverage type. TEAC was most influenced by the substrate type.