Improvement of strawberry for potential anthocyanin content and bioactive compound producing cultivars through breeding program

The nutritional value of fruit is known to have significant health benefits and is requested by consumers. Especially strawberry contains high levels of phytochemical compounds. The aim of the present work was to determine the anthocyanin content, bioactive compounds and the physico-chemical fruit quality of three new strawberry cultivars. Fruits of three selected new hybrid lines were extracted and total anthocyanin and bioactive compounds were analyzed using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Individual anthocyanins and vitamin C were determined using HPLC. Physico-chemical properties of fruits were conducted. Our results revealed that among the plants evaluated, hybrid No. 1 line 10, hybrid No. 1 line 15 and hybrid No. 1 line 22 had the highest anthocyanin content. The total anthocyanin contents of these three hybrids were approximately 30-32 mg 100 g^‑1 FW. Cyanidin 3-glucoside and pelargonidin 3-glucoside were found at approximately 15-17 mg kg^‑1 FW and 221-301 mg kg^‑1 FW, respectively. Total phenolic content, FRAP and ORAC activity of the three hybrids were approximately 1943-2214 mg GAE kg^‑1 FW, 19-25 mmol Fe²⁺ kg^‑1 FW and 56-69 mmol TE kg^‑1 FW, respectively. Therefore, these cultivars had the highest of anthocyanin content, bioactive compound and physico-chemical properties when compared with parents and also have the potential to be used in the development of phytochemical-rich strawberry cultivars and cultivation in commercial scale.