The effect of strawberry ripeness on the content of polyphenols, cinnamates, L-ascorbic and carboxylic acids

Strawberry pseudofruit is a valuable resource, rich in polyphenols, cinnamates and nutritional components, e.g. carbohydrates, carboxylic acids and vitamins. The purpose of the study was to quantify of individual polyphenols including anthocyanins, flavonols, tannins and related compounds, as well as cinnamic acid derivatives, l -ascorbic acid, and carboxylic acids in fruits of selected Fragaria × ananassa cultivars from successive growing seasons in its three ripening stages (green – unripe; pink – turning red; red – fully matured fruits), and to determine which stage selectively accumulates these bioactive compounds. The direction of changes in their concentrations during fruit development and ripening was also analyzed and discussed. There was an increase in the content of anthocyanins and cinnamates. Conversely, the content of some flavonols, tannin-related compounds, as well as citric and oxalic acids, decreased during maturation. The trends for l -ascorbic acid and malic acid varied among different cultivars. Nevertheless, some individual components and strawberry genotypes deviated from the general trends of the studied phytochemical groups.