Use of Wild Genotypes in Breeding Program Increases Strawberry Fruit Sensorial and Nutritional Quality

Abstract

This study evaluated 20 advanced selections, derived from a strawberry interspecific backcross program, and their parents for fruit weight, commercial yield, acidity, sugar content, antioxidant capacity, and phenol and anthocyanin contents. Phytochemical profiling analysis was performed to determine the compositional characteristics of the improved selections in comparison with their parents and an important commercial variety ('Elsanta'). Advanced selections showed substantial improvement for agronomic and nutritional quality parameters. From the profiling analysis there was evidence for specific improvements in fruit phytochemical contents; new advanced selections had substantially increased fruit flavonol, anthocyanin, and ellagitannin contents compared to their parent cultivar 'Romina' and, for flavonols and ellagitannins, compared to a standard cultivar 'Elsanta'. Such results confirm that an appropriate breeding program that includes wild strawberry germplasm can produce new strawberry cultivars with a well-defined improvement in fruit nutritional and nutraceutical values.

Physico-chemical characteristics of thermally processed purée from different strawberry genotypes

“…The genotype selections included in the present study originated from a breeding programme that was specifically aimed at the selection of new genetic materials with improved fruit contents of the phytochemicals that are associated with high sensorial traits, such as sugars, acids, colour and firmness (i.e., THP and ACY, in particular) Diamanti et al, 2012a). Results for the commercial cultivars Romina and Cristina are consistent as previously published by our group (Diamanti et al, 2012b(Diamanti et al, , 2014.…”

“…In strawberry, the phytochemical composition of the fruit, and consequently their sensorial and nutritional qualities, is strictly related to the genotype (Scalzo et al, 2005;Tulipani et al, 2008), and can be modified through specifically tailored breeding programmes Diamanti et al, 2012aDiamanti et al, ,b, 2014. Therefore, there is the possibility that new strawberry cultivars can be produced that have fruit that are more suitable to industrial processing treatments, and thus to produce new types of products that are highly requested by the consumer.…”

Chemopreventive and Therapeutic Effects of Edible Berries: A Focus on Colon Cancer Prevention and Treatment

“…Diversity of berry phenolics is observed in several ways, including: (i) genetic and environmental factors, such as species and variety, cultivation methods, fertilization, weather, ripeness and harvesting season, conditions and time of storage [51,52,53,54,55,56,57]; (ii) chemical structures, ranging from simple single-aromatic ring compounds to large complex molecules built up from multiple smaller ones [58]; (iii) degree of oxidation and substitution patterns of hydroxylation; (iv) abilities to exist as stereoisomers; (v) glycosylation by sugar moieties and other substituents; and (vi) conjugation to form polymeric molecules [59].…”

Romina: A powerful strawberry with in vitro efficacy against uterine leiomyoma cells

“…The content of nutritive compounds or micronutrients and phytochemicals may greatly vary from cultivar to cultivar (Diamanti, Mezzetti, et al, ; Tulipani et al, ). The genetic background plays an important role in the nutritional quality of strawberry fruits and the breeding programs can be used to improve strawberry nutritional value, also using wild germplasm (Alvarez‐Suarez et al, ; Capocasa, Scalzo, Mezzetti, & Battino, ; Diamanti, Mazzoni, et al, ; Scalzo, Battino, Costantini, & Mezzetti, ). For example, Alba is a cultivar of strawberry selected for higher sensorial and nutritional parameters (Diamanti, Capocasa, et al, ).…”