The life cycle of the strawberry fruit : a physicochemical perspective

Abstract

The strawberry fruit is cultivated locally and consumed by the Maltese. The strawberry has a life cycle of approximately nine months; therefore a study was conducted on three strawberry varieties in greenhouse and field setups. The fruit was studied from bud burst to maturity. Fresh strawberry fruit at different stages were harvested and tested in the lab using a series of physicochemical tests. It was observed that, in general, tint, %yellow, %blue, polyphenols, lycopene and total carotenoids showed an increasing trend whereas %red and anthocyanins showed a decreasing trend throughout the life cycle of the fruit. It was also observed that field strawberries exhibited higher values for these parameters than those grown in the greenhouse. Temperature, light intensity, humidity and UV index influenced the biosynthesis of polyphenols, anthocyanins and carotenoids within the strawberries. Whereas the greenhouse provided an earlier crop, the quality of the field strawberries showed better physicochemical characteristics. However, these observations may have been influenced primarily by varietal differences. Further studies need to be carried out to determine the extent of external influences on the strawberry fruit quality.