Consumer preference and physiochemical analyses of fresh strawberries from ten cultivars

ABSTRACT

Strawberries are an economically important crop partly because they are very popular with consumers. Strawberry growers and breeders would benefit from knowing which cultivars and fruit traits consumers would prefer. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine consumer preference for the fruit of once-fruiting and repeat-fruiting strawberry cultivars available to grow in the Mid-Atlantic to help growers select the most suitable strawberry cultivars based on their marketability, critical sensory quality attributes, and physicochemical measurements; and (2) identify interrelationships between sensory attributes and physicochemical measurements to determine which approaches might result in breeding strawberries consumers will find most appealing. Strawberries from 10 cultivars were harvested and evaluated by a trained sensory panel and instrumentally. ‘Flavorfest’ fruits were rated highest of all 10 cultivars, and ‘Albion’ fruits were rated highest of the repeat-fruiting cultivars. Overall quality was correlated with sweetness and strawberry flavor and aroma, but not sourness. Separation of cultivar means for sweetness was better using an instrument to measure, rather than the panel evaluation. Overall appearance was correlated with visual freshness and glossiness. Light orange-red strawberries (higher L* and b*) appeared fresher and more appealing to the panels than darker more purple-red strawberries. Evaluations of strawberry fruits for berry size, juiciness, and texture were less straightforward.

KEYWORDS:

• Fragaria ×ananassa
• breeding
• flavor
• fruit quality
• sensory evaluation
• physiochemical

Acknowledgments

This project was funded by USDA-ARS Projects 8042-21220-257-00-D and 8042-43440-005-00-D. Evaluations at the UMD-WREC were funded by the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station – University of Maryland. The authors wish to thank the volunteer panelists for participating in training and evaluations, Samantha Bolten for assisting with fruit pre-evaluation sorting, Ellen Bornhorst and Vaidehi Bhagat for fruit image analyses, John Enns, Phil Edmonds, and the USDA-ARS Beltsville Research Support Services for field and greenhouse support. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or any of the other coauthors’ institutions.