Fruit quality of new strawberry cultivars in Montenegro

Interest for new strawberry cultivars in the world is increasing due to high demands for nutritionally valuable fruits with good agronomic properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fruit quality of three new promising strawberry cultivars - 'Asia', 'Joly', and 'Premy' and to determine their potential for providing high-quality fruits for the market. Among the analyzed parameters physical and biochemical properties of the fruit were measured, followed by a sensory analysis of the fruit attractiveness, taste and aroma. The cultivar 'Joly' had the biggest fruits, with the highest fruit weight, length and diameter. The smallest fruits were present in the cultivar 'Premy'. The highest soluble solids and titratable acidity were present in the cultivar 'Premy', while these parameters were the lowest in the cultivar 'Joly'. The cultivar 'Premy' also had the highest antioxidant capacity, measured by both assays (ABTS and DPPH). The cultivar 'Joly' was superior in comparison to other cultivars regarding the content of phenols and flavonoids, which are important nutritional components of the fruit. Regarding the fruit attractiveness, all the studied cultivars were rated as attractive, but regarding the taste and aroma the cultivar 'Joly' showed the best results and had the highest overall rating. Each of the three analyzed cultivars showed different potential, depending on consumers' preferences towards taste and nutritional value of strawberry fruits.