ABSTRACT
The fruits of strawberries are very popular in the world for being sweet, juicy, tasty and attractively red, with captivating flavour and rich in aesthetic values. The soluble solid content of the fruits comprise sugars, acids and other substances dissolved in the fruit juice. About 80–90% of the soluble solid content consists of sugars, including reducing sugars, fructose and glucose (80–90% in 1:1 ratio), with small amounts of non-reducing sugars, such as sucrose (Forney and Breen, 1985; Kader, 1991). Citric acid is the primary organic acid in strawberry found at all the stages of fruit growth (Kim et al., 1993). The contents of acids in fruit juice largely determine pH, contribute to colour stability and regulate the activity of oxidative enzymes. Strawberry fruit contains an appreciable amount of ascorbic acid, which increases as the fruits attain maturity and ripening (Spayd and Morris, 1981). Strawberry fruits are a rich source of several phytochemicals, minerals and vitamins too. The general composition of fresh strawberry fruits is given in Table 2.1. General Composition of Fresh Strawberry Fruit https://www.niso.org/standards/z39-96/ns/oasis-exchange/table"> Nutrient Content (per 100 g) Water (g) 91.57 Energy (kcal) 30 Protein (g) 0.61 Fat (g) 0.37 Carbohydrate (g) 7.02 Total dietary fibre (g) 2.3 Ash (g) 0.43 Minerals Calcium (mg) 14 Iron (mg) 0.38 Magnesium (mg) 10 Phosphorus (mg) 19 Potassium (mg) 166 Sodium (mg) 1 Zinc (mg) 0.13 Copper (mg) 0.05 Manganese (mg) 0.29 Selenium (µg) 0.7 Vitamins Vitamin C (mg) 56.7 Thiamine (mg) 0.02 Riboflavin (mg) 0.07 Niacin (mg) 0.23 Pantothenic acid (mg) 0.34 Vitamin B6 (mg) 0.06 Folate (µg) 18 Vitamin A (IU) 27 Vitamin E (mg) 0.14 Total phenolic (mg) 58–210 Total anthocyanin (mg) 55.15 Pelargonidin 3-glucoside 88% of total anthocyanin Cyanidin 3-glucoside 12% of total anthocyanin Source: Green (1971), Kader (1991), Kim et al. (1993), USDA (1998).
