Strawberry sweetness and consumer preference are enhanced by specific volatile compounds.

Area of Science:

• Horticultural Science
• Food Chemistry
• Sensory Science

Background:

• Improving crop flavor is difficult due to high sensory evaluation costs and challenges linking sensory perception to chemical composition.
• Consumer liking for strawberries is influenced by a complex interplay of sugars, acids, and volatile compounds.
• Identifying specific chemical drivers of flavor is crucial for targeted breeding programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the chemical compounds responsible for sweetness and consumer liking in fresh strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa).
• To develop predictive models for strawberry sweetness and liking based on chemical composition.
• To discover genetic targets for marker-assisted breeding to enhance strawberry flavor.

Main Methods:

• Sensory evaluation by large consumer panels (over 15,000 data points) and quantification of sugars, acids, and 113 volatile compounds in 148 strawberry samples over seven years.
• Partial least squares (PLS) analysis to identify volatile compounds influencing sweetness and liking independently of sugars.
• Machine learning models incorporating sugars, acids, and volatiles to predict sweetness and liking, and genetic association studies to locate loci controlling ester production.

Main Results:

• Consumer liking strongly correlated with sweetness, texture, and flavor intensity, but not sourness.
• 20 volatile compounds were found to enhance sweetness perception, 18 to increase liking independently of sugars, and 15 positively affected both.
• Machine learning models using volatiles explained at least 25% more variation in sweetness and liking compared to models without volatiles.
• Two loci on linkage group 6A were identified that control ester production, offering targets for simultaneous ester enhancement.

Conclusions:

• Specific volatile compounds, such as γ-dodecalactone and certain fatty acid esters, are key drivers of strawberry sweetness and consumer preference.
• These volatile compounds can be used as targets for breeding or quality control in strawberry products.
• The study presents a consumer-driven paradigm for fruit flavor improvement, linking sensory perception to chemical and genetic targets for marker-assisted breeding.