Development of Quality Attributes in Strawberry Fruit: A Review

Abstract

Strawberry fruit quality has many components including appearance, firmness, size, color, uniformity, freedom from defects, taste, aroma, texture and nutritional value. Each of these, in turn, consists of additional components that contribute to overall quality. People have attempted to improve fruit quality for hundreds of years through breeding, cultural practices and postharvest handling. Yet, because of competing priorities within the industry and lack of agreement among consumers about what constitutes a quality strawberry, progress has been uneven. This review explores the development of quality attributes as the strawberry ripens including appearance, firmness, sweetness, acidity, polyphenol content and organic volatiles and how management practices affect each of these. By applying best management practices, growers and shippers can enhance quality attributes in their portfolio of cultivars.