title: Influence of cultivar and culture system on nutritional and organoleptic quality of strawberry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Strawberries are widely appreciated and consumed as a pleasant-tasting fruit either in fresh form or as processed product. Of the many factors which can affect the quality of fruit (sensorial and nutritional), the cultivar 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 grown in soilless and soil culture. The effect of different cultivars and cropping systems on selected quality parameters, were assessed by applying multivariate statistical methods, such as principal component analysis and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Differences among cultivars were observed based on the mineral composition and glucose and fructose concentrations in both cultivation systems. However, no significant differences between cultivars were detected in sourness. Tamar and Camarosa were the sweetest cultivars among those grown in soilless and soil system, respectively. Both varieties also had the highest total sugars/total acids ratio. The comparison between strawberries cultivated in soil and soilless systems also revealed significant differences in the mineral composition, content of sugars and related parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Good discrimination was observed between cultivars of conventional crops, whereas no clear separation between cultivars grown in the soilless system was achieved by PLS-DA. PLS-DA also allowed differentiation of samples by type of crop (soilless vs. conventional crop). This information could be useful for selection of growing conditions and high-quality cultivars.
authors.affiliation: Analytical Chemistry Area, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, 21007, Huelva, Spain.
authors.forename: Ikram
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Akhatou
authors.forename: Ángeles
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Fernández Recamales
mesh_terms: D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000032:analysis; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D063427:Food Quality; D031985:Fragaria / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development; D005632:Fructose / Q000032:analysis; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development; D005947:Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008293:Malates / Q000032:analysis; D009753:Nutritive Value; D010858:Pigmentation; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012677:Sensation; D013030:Spain; D013045:Species Specificity; D019802:Succinic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D013649:Taste; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D008293:Malates; D014131:Trace Elements; D019343:Citric Acid; D005632:Fructose; C030298:malic acid; D019802:Succinic Acid; D005947:Glucose
keywords: cultivars; quality; soilless system; strawberry