Exploring flavour profile changes of strawberry fruits under different organic fertilizer strategies by combining HS-SPME-GC-MS and metabolomics

Abstract

This work focused on investigating the flavour formation of strawberry fruits (SFs) at three developmental phases treated by different types of organic fertilizers. A total of 92 volatile and 8595/6244 non-volatile compounds were identified using HS-SPME-GC–MS combined with non-targeted metabolomics. The predominant volatile components in SFs include esters and terpenes, and the application of organic fertilizers increased the contribution of characteristic volatile esters to the fruity aroma of SFs. Compared to the control group (CK), the peach branch (PB) and cow straw (CS) organic fertilizer groups reduced the major green-flavor compound, 3-hexenal, by 94.25 % and 28.44 %, respectively. The amino acids, polyphenols and salicylic acids were identified as important differential metabolites, and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that flavour formation was primarily associated with amino acids metabolism. These insights provide a valuable theoretical basis for understanding flavour formation of fruits to enhance their sensory qualities through targeted regulation.