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Strawberry aroma, crucial for determining quality, involves complex volatile compounds which are challenging to identify. This study explores strawberry aroma analysis using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and the Automated Mass Spectral Deconvolution and Identification System (AMDIS). Central to our research is the creation of a bespoke strawberry Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) user library using AMDIS, specifically for analyzing strawberry aromas. The library contains VOCs from 61 strawberry cultivars, integrating information on 104 VOCs, including mass spectra, retention index, chemical class, CAS number, formula, odor threshold, and odor description. This custom library significantly outperformed a commercial library by reducing potential false hits by 200, decreasing the size of report files by over 96%, and, most importantly, shortening AMDIS analysis processing time from 31 s to 9 s, representing an approximate 71% reduction. Further, the study demonstrates the library's practical application by contrasting the aroma profiles of strawberries harvested in winter and spring. This comparison revealed significant VOC variations depending on seasonal temperature changes, offering insights into environmental influences on strawberry aroma. In conclusion, this research marks a significant advance in strawberry aroma quality analysis. The strawberry VOC library developed in this study is expected to greatly aid targeted metabolomics and flavor research in strawberry breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Korea, the majority of strawberry cultivation follows a forcing culture, where planting occurs in mid-September after the flower differentiation, and harvesting begins at the end of November. October and November constitute off-season, resulting in higher prices. The accelerated forcing culture involves artificially promoting flower differentiation to expedite strawberry harvest. This study aimed to identify the most suitable schedule for strawberry cultivation using the short-day and low-temperature treatments through greenhouse environmental control during the nursery stage. The selection of the most suitable cultivars for accelerated forcing culture among Korean breeding cultivars ('Sulhyang', 'Kuemsil', 'Kingsberry', 'Vitaberry', 'Jukhyang', and 'Altaking') was also part of the objectives. The nursery treatments were initiated on 4 July, 14 July, and 25 July. After approximately 5 weeks of treatment, transplanting was carried out. The control group was transplanted on 15 September. When night-chilling nursery treatment was applied on 4 July, followed by transplanting on 11 August, all six cultivars exhibited flowering earlier compared to the control group, leading to increased early yield. Particularly, the 'Sulhyang' cultivar showed the highest marketable yield at 68.6 g per plant in October. This research contributes to identifying the nursery cultivation schedule for off-season strawberry production and selecting suitable cultivars, and is expected to contribute to increased farm income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bioactivities of boxthron fruits, a source of oriental medicine, are well known, whereas phytochemical studies of the boxthorn stem are rare. In this study, the stem extract of boxthorn ( Lycium chinense Miller) and its subfractions were evaluated for their effects on nitric oxide (NO) inhibition and procollagen type I peptide (PIP) synthesis. A phenolic amide isolated from the stem extract was also assayed for these effects. The compound, N-trans- feruloyltyramine, was identified by 1 H, 13 C, and 2D-nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. In NO inhibition, the chloroform fraction (CF) exhibited the strongest inhibitory activity (MIC 50 = 24.69 μg/ml) among the subfractions of the ethanol extract (EE). N-transferuloyltyramine isolated from the CF showed strong NO inhibitory activity, presenting with an MIC 50 of 31.36 μg/ml. The EE, CF, and N-trans- feruloyltyramine shown to have NO inhibition activity were assayed for the activity of PIP synthesis. The EE and CF showed relatively high PIP values of 38.8% and 24.21% at 100 μg/ml, respectively. The PIP value for 20 μg/ml N-trans- feruloyltyramine showed a 36% increase compared with the non-treated control, whereas that treated with 20 μg/ml ascorbic acid as a positive control showed a 13% increase. The results suggest that the proper stem extract of boxthorn stem could be efficiently used to produce good cosmetic effects.