2018 ASHS Annual Conference

Strawberry fruit develops a complex favor during ripening. The objective of this study was to evaluate the metabolic responses and relationship between amino acids and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during ripening and shelf life of ‘Seolhyang’ strawberry fruit. Fruit were harvested at green, pink, and red maturity stages and left at ambient temperature for 7 days for shelf life. Fruit fresh weight, diameter, and length decreased during 7 days shelf life, compared with fruit at harvest at all maturities. Soluble solids content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA) decreased with maturity. SSC remained unchanged with shelf life while TA increased. Levels of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, valine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, histidine, arginine, and proline declined with shelf life while β-alanine and γ-amino-n-butyric acid (GABA) levels increased. Levels of ethyl acetate, methyl butanoate, ethyl butanoate, methyl hexanoate, butyl butanoate, ethyl hexanoate, and hexyl acetate increased but hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal and 2-heptenal responses decreased with shelf life. Overall, the inverse relationship between amino acids and certain VOCs that occurred with increasing fruit maturity and continued during 7 days shelf life. These results indicate that amino acids may be involved in VOCs production during shelf life.