Fruit composition of organically and conventionally cultivated strawberry ‘Polka’
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences,Kreutzwaldi 1, Tartu 51014, Estonia; e-mail: tonu.tonutare@gmail.com
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of cultivation technology and plant age on fruit composition of strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) ‘Polka’. Strawberry fruits from two- and threeyear-old plantations were harvested on two conventional and two organic farms in South Estonia in 2008. Content of fruit dry matter (DM), ascorbic acid content (AAC), soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), anthocyanins (ACY) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were recorded. The results indicate that the strawberries cultivated under organic farming conditions had higher SSC and contained more fruit DM, compared to the conventionally grown strawberries. Content of ACY and SSC was significantly influenced by plant age. Key words: soluble solids/titratable acid ratio, ascorbic acid, anthocyanins, total antioxidant activityINTRODUCTION
Key words:
Several studies have shown that consumers have positive attitude towards organic