Why don’t English strawberries taste as good as they used to? MacTavish:West identifies the best English strawberry

The problem: How to prove one strawberry tastes better than another. Hargreaves Plants (Lincs, UK) asked MacTavish:West to try and find points of difference for one of their strawberry plant varieties, enabling them to promote the variety to strawberry producers and supermarkets. Hargreaves Plants (www.hargreavesplants.com) is a wholesale supplier in the East of England specialising in soft fruit and asparagus plants.

The solution:  MacTavish:West assessed the strawberries for sensory properties (factors like perfume, firmness, juiciness, sweetness, acidity, herbiness, astringency, aroma). Dr Hazel MacTavish-West found the best methods for flavour analysis of strawberry, and identified the university with the most comprehensive flavour analysis laboratories. Hazel then worked with the university to examine strawberry flavour using two different techniques to ensure the best results were obtained. We used Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization-Gas Phase Analysis (APCI-GPA) to analyse the volatiles released from freshly blended strawberries (to mimic eating). Also Solid Phase Micro-Extraction-Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (SPME-GCMS) on static headspace volatiles above ’strawberry smoothie’, for a more comprehensive profile of volatiles.  We found significantly higher levels of flavour volatiles released from strawberry ‘smoothie’ of cv Albion compared with cv Elsinore.  Specifically, Albion had very high levels of methyl butyrate (appley, sweet with ripe pear character), (E)-2-hexenal (fresh, green), hexanal (freshly cut grass and unripe orchard fruits).  Some of the volatiles released from other varieties were typical of strawberry ‘off-flavours’, or explained some of the melon-like flavours observed sensorially.

The result:  This information, along with other information on non-flavour attributes of the different strawberry cultivars, was used to prepare a comprehensive report and a draft press release for the client to discuss with their PR company.  Hargreaves Plants disseminated the report to all the technical managers at major UK supermarkets and to their clients.  The press release was picked up by the Fresh Produce Journal, and this and other promotional activity for ‘Albion’ strawberry cultivar led to coverage in the Daily Mail as well as other industry magazines.

‘MacTavish:West were fast, thorough and effective at finding unique points of difference for our strawberry cultivar. They supported the findings with sound science, presented in a user friendly format.’
Rupert Hargreaves, Hargreaves Plants.