Mineral composition of the fruit of strawberry cultivars under the conditions of Sverdlovsk Province

Background. Growing requirements on new strawberry cultivars for higher nutritional value of their fruits call for a comprehensive evaluation of their assortment in each berry-growing zone. Materials and methods. Berries of 6 garden strawberry cultivars and 1 hybrid cultivar obtained from crossing garden and wild strawberries, all of them midseason and developed domestically, were studied at Sverdlovsk Breeding Station of Horticulture, Yekaterinburg. Their mineral composition was analyzed using the method of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Results. Twenty-three macro- and micronutrients were found in the berries. Most of them were observed in all fruits (in descending order of their content): K > P > Ca > Mg > Si > Fe > Na ≥ Mn > Ba > B > Sr ≥ Zn > Cu > Ti > Ni > Cr > Mo. The selective accumulation ability was specified for Al, Cd, Co, Pb, Se, and V. There were no significant differences among the cultivars in meeting human needs for essential macronutrients when consuming a serving of berries. Correlations among the nutrients in berries were established. Conclusion. Cv. ‘Torpeda’ demonstrated predominant accumulation of essential and conditionally essential micronutrients (Cr, V, Co, Fe, Mn, and Si), and cv. ‘Akvarel’ stood out for accumulation of Cr, V, Co, Fe, and Mo. Both are recommended to strawberry breeders who seek improvement of the mineral composition in strawberry fruits to produce on their basis specialized food products. Cv. ‘Italmas’ was identified as a genetic source of Mo, and cv. ‘Kupchikha’ as a source of Co.