Fragaria et al. Consulting has long-standing experience working with breeders, growers, and retailers assessing strawberry quality and shelf-life.
The strawberry is one of the most popular fruits worldwide because of its vibrant red color, sweet flavor, and juiciness. Strawberry fruit is still a metabolically active organism after it has been detached from the plant, and the rate at which the quality of the fruit declines depends on genetics and pre- and postharvest conditions.
Pre-harvest conditions such as soil, weather, and pesticide applications, along with postharvest conditions, particularly temperature, can significantly impact strawberry quality and shelf life. Delays before cooling, inadequate pre-cooling, abuse, or fluctuating temperatures during storage and distribution combined with long transit times inevitably occur in commercial handling and reduce the quality and maximum potential shelf life of strawberries.
Overall, it is important to monitor pre- and postharvest conditions and to develop new strawberry cultivars that are well adapted to commercial growing conditions and maintain their overall quality during the supply chain.
If you need advice or training in assessing strawberry quality during production, handling, and distribution, please contact us.
