Development and Optimization Method for Determination of the Strawberries' Aroma Profile

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Plant Science

Background:

• Strawberries (genus *Fragaria*) are widely cultivated for mechanical harvesting, necessitating analysis near consumption centers.
• Distinguishing strawberry cultivars and geographical origins is important for quality control and traceability.
• Understanding the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is key to characterizing strawberry aroma profiles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and optimize a method for comprehensive molecular detection in strawberries.
• To establish a basis for future differentiation of strawberry cultivars and geographical origins.
• To analyze the aroma profile of the 'Albion' strawberry cultivar using advanced analytical techniques.

Main Methods:

• Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in SCAN mode was employed for aroma profiling.
• Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was used for sample preparation and extraction of volatile compounds.
• Optimization of SPME parameters including fiber type, GC column, sample weight, ionic strength (using 20% NaCl), agitation temperature, and sampling time (15 min) was performed.

Main Results:

• The aroma profile of 'Albion' strawberries was characterized by the presence of furanones, esters, aldehydes, and carboxylic acids.
• Optimal extraction and incubation conditions were determined by adjusting ionic strength for 15 minutes.
• Individual aroma compounds were successfully identified using NIST and Wiley spectral libraries and the 'area normalization' method.

Conclusions:

• The optimized GC-MS and SPME method provides a robust approach for analyzing strawberry aroma profiles.
• This methodology can be applied to differentiate between strawberry cultivars and geographical origins based on their unique chemical fingerprints.
• Further research can leverage this technique for quality assessment and authentication of strawberry products.