Volatile Profile of two Strawberry variety, " S candonga and F. fortuna" by SPME-GC/MS

Background: The cultivated strawberry brings the the botanical name Fragaria X ananassa and is derived from the crossing of different species of Fragaria, brought to Europe from America in the sixteenth century. Strawberries are widely appreciated and consumed as a pleasant-tasting fruit either in fresh form or as processed product. Of the many factors than can affect the quality of fruit (sensorial and nutritional), the variety is especially important, but it is also affected by crop conditions. The main characteristics related to the fruit quality and nutritional attributes were assessed in several varieties of strawberry. Objective: The aim of this work was to study the aromatic component of strawberries, comparing two types of fresh plants of two variety Sabrosa Candonga ® and Florida Fortuna. The study was conducted in 2011-2012 and the fruits were grown in the experimental field in Marsala (TP). Methods: Several chemical parameters based on concentration of glucose and fructose were evaluated. The volatile fraction was analyzed on fresh fruit by solid-phase MicroExtraction technique in headspace followed by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (HS-SPMEGC/ MS). Results: Chemical parameters were determined in the harvested fruits, and differences among the strawberry varieties were observed. More of fifty volatile compounds were found in the fruit tissues of strawberry. Profiles included esters, alcohols, terpenes, and aldehydes. Concentrations and LRI are calculated for both variety, fruit fresh showed a similar volatile profile, with a few differences. Conclusion: The comparison of the different varieties of strawberry cultivated in two crop system revealed differences in the nutritional and organoleptic quality. This information could be useful to select growing conditions and varieties with high quality. References: 1. Vas G and Vékéy K, “Solid-phase microextraction: a powerful sample preparation tool prior to mass spectrometric analysis”. J Mass Spectrom 39:233 (2004). 2. M. Nuzzi., R. Lo Scalzo, A. Testoni, A. Rizzoli, “Evaluation of fruit aroma quality: comparison between gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) and odour activity value (OAV) aroma patterns of strawberries”, Food Analytical Methods 1:270(2008).