Abstract
Varietal differences of fruit firmness, soluble solids concentration, titratable acidity, anthocyanin concentration and soluble sugar composition as influenced by storage temperature were evaluated in 4 strawberry cultivars including ‘Mae-hyang’, ‘Seol-hyang’, ‘Keum-hyang’ and ‘Akihime’. The major soluble sugar in ‘Keum-hyang’ and ‘Mae-hyang’ was sucrose whereas ‘Seol-hyang’ had a higher concentration of reducing sugars such as fructose and glucose as shown in the Japanese cultivar, ‘Akihime’. Moreover, changes in sugar composition at each storage temperature differed according to the major soluble sugar. The levels of fruit firmness were increased by low temperature storage in all cultivars, and ‘Mae-hyang’ showed a remarkable increase. ‘Mae-hyang’ showed limited change in the acid concentration and sugar/acid ratio during both 4°C and 20°C storage. Furthermore, the decrease in the total soluble sugar in ‘Mae-hyang’ during 20°C storage was less than those in the other 3 cultivars. Thus, the shelf life of ‘Mae-hyang’ strawberry is longer than those of the other cultivars examined. However, the changes in acid concentration and sugar/acid ratio of ‘Seol-hyang’ at 20°C storage occurred earlier than those in the other cultivars. ‘Keum-hyang’ showed a high concentration of anthocyanin at both 4°C and 20°C storage and the soluble sugar concentration decreased even at 4°C storage. These findings indicated that ‘Mae-hyang’ had a great potential for long term transport because a firm texture and stable quality were well maintained.
