Cultivar Differentiation and Quality Changes Monitoring of Strawberry during Storage using Electronic Nose

Abstract

Strawberry, Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne, is a popular fruit with unique aromas and a sour-to-sweet taste. Aroma is an important aspect of identifying the quality of Strawberry during storage after harvesting. In this study, an electronic nose was used to identify the characteristics of volatile organic compounds produced in the Strawberry during storage and compare differences in characteristics of volatile organic compounds according to the cultivar of Strawberry. The results indicate no difference between quality indexes in Strawberry except for the weight loss (WL) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) production during storage. The WL of Seolhyang (ST1) and Geumsil (ST2) increased from 0 to 10 d. VOCs in ST1 correlated to 1-Propanol, 2-methyl-, methyl hexanoate, propyl nonanoate, methyl formate, (Z)-3-Hexen-1-ol, and (E)-2-hexenal during the storage period at 5 ℃. VOCs in ST2 were identified as 5-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2(5H)-furanone, 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine, methyl butanoate, (Z)-3-Hexen-1-ol, and methyl hexanoate. These VOCs can be used as biomarkers in the early detection of undesirable flavor production in the food industry and crucial factors in the shelf-life determination of Strawberry during storage.