CULTIVAR AND HARVEST DATE EFFECTS ON FLAVOR AND OTHER QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRIES

“Aromas,”“Diamante” and “Selva” strawberries were harvested in early and mid‐season and evaluated for quality attributes, flavor components, fermentative metabolites and physiological characteristics. Preference and flavor tests by consumer panels were also conducted. Cultivar variation was greater than harvest date variation as were differences in color, concentrations of anthocyanins, firmness, total soluble solids, sugars, pH, titratable acidity (TA), organic acids and aroma compounds. “Diamante” and “Selva” had higher aroma quality than “Aromas” fruits. The levels of fermentative metabolites were too low to have an impact on the aroma quality. “Diamante” and “Selva” strawberries had better overall flavor quality and were more preferred by consumers than “Aromas.” These differences were consistent over two harvest dates.