Cultural system affects fruit quality and antioxidant capacity in strawberries.

Cultural system [hill plasticulture (HC) versus matted row (MR)] and genotype interactions affected strawberry fruit quality. In general, fruit soluble solids content, total sugar, fructose, glucose, ascorbic acid, titratable acid, and citric acid contents were increased in the HC system. Fruit from HC also had higher flavonoid contents and antioxidant capacities. Strawberry fruit contains flavonols as well as other phenolic compounds such as anthocyanins and phenolic acids. Pelargonidin-based anthocyanins such as pelargonidin 3-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-rutinoside, and pelargonidin 3-glucoside-succinate were the predominant anthocyanins in strawberry fruit. The content of cyanidin-based anthocyanins, cyanidin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-glucoside-succinate, was much lower than that of pelargonidin-based anthocyanins in either system. Strawberry fruit from the HC system had significantly higher amounts of p-coumaroylglucose, dihydroflavonol, quercetin 3-glucoside, quercetin 3-glucuronide, kaempferol 3-glucoside, kaempferol 3-glucuronide, cyanidin 3-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-rutinoside, cyanidin 3-glucoside-succinate, and pelargonidin 3-glucoside-succinate. Fruits from plants grown in the MR system generally had the lowest contents of phenolic acids, flavonols, and anthocyanins. Strawberry fruit grown under HC conditions had significantly higher peroxyl radicals (ROO*) absorbance capacity (ORAC).