Phenolic Content, Color Development, and Pigment−Related Gene Expression: A Comparative Analysis in Different Cultivars of Strawberry during the Ripening Process

Abstract

Globally, the strawberry is one of the most widely consumed fruits, but under certain environmental conditions, it exhibits inadequate red color development, causing economic losses due to lower product quality. In order to evaluate if changes in color are cultivar-specific and environmentally dependent, a comparative study of anthocyanin accumulation, total phenolic, total flavonoid content analysis and additionally a transcriptional profile of pigment-related genes in “Camarosa,” “Cristal,” “Monterey,” and “Portola” (four strawberry cultivars) was performed. These showed an increase in their red coloration during fruit development. The anthocyanin accumulation in the four cultivars was related to the particular progress of the transcriptional activity of genes involved in the biosynthesis of flavonoid pigments. The greatest increase was observed in “Monterey” and “Camarosa”; thus, we have found a correlation between fruit color redness and total anthocyanins only in these cultivars. However, a positive correlation between the mRNA abundance of FaF3′H and FaFLS and the total flavonoids content was found in all cultivars at early stages of ripening. Finally, we found correlations between color and other important physiological properties such as SSC/TA, weight, and aroma expressed as total esters. These results could be useful in making decisions in future breeding programs to improve the content of healthy compound content in strawberry fruit.

Identification of candidate genes influencing anthocyanin biosynthesis during the development and ripening of red and white strawberry fruits via comparative transcriptome analysis

“…These expression profiles were similar or contrasted with the observed anthocyanin content among the three cultivars of fruit, indicating that these genes possibly enhance or repress anthocyanin biosynthesis in fruit. In the present study, anthocyanin biosynthesis transcripts, including CHS , CHI , and ANS , which were not identified in the diploid genome but were present in the octoploid genome, were downregulated in white strawberry fruits, indicating that the transcript abundance of these genes was positively related to the accumulation of anthocyanin ( Zhang et al, 2015 ; Parra-Palma, Morales-Quintana & Ramos, 2020 ). Moreover, three structural genes with the same annotation were selected from the diploid and octoploid genomes, namely, PAL , DFR , and UFGT3 ( Tables S4 , S5 ).…”

“…1 , Table S7 ). The anthocyanin contents increase with the fruit development and ripening process ( Parra-Palma, Morales-Quintana & Ramos, 2020 ). To identify candidate genes involved in red and white colour formation, we performed RNA-seq using three strawberry cultivars ( Fig.…”

Expression of Structural Flavonoid Biosynthesis Genes in Dark-Blue and White Myrtle Berries (Myrtus communis L.)

“…In fact, the presence of reducing sugars or other reducing compounds in the solution-analyzed via the Folin-Ciocalteu method-may, in part, lead to an overestimation of the total phenolic content [68]. By contrast, Parra-Palma et al [69] found a positive correlation between total phenolic content and FLS and ANR expression levels in strawberries, suggesting that flavonols and condensed tannins are the major phenolic compounds in the first stages of ripening.…”

Ugni molinae Fruit as a Source of Bioactive Compounds with Good Quality Traits

“…Polyphenolic compounds (PCs) are important not only in terms of quality but also in terms of the PCs influence over visual fruit appearance related with fruit or vegetable color, and their influence over the taste [ 4 , 16 , 27 , 28 ]. Additionally, from a biomedical point of view, the PCs have gained a great interest during the last decade because they appear to be associated with the prevention of different diseases [ 29 ].…”

“…Anthocyanins are naturally present in vegetables and fruits, and one of the most abundant types of these PCs are named flavonoids [ 29 ]. These compounds are vegetal pigments that promote health benefits to consumers due to their high antioxidant capacity [ 29 , 33 ], and they are responsible for the blue, purple, and red colors in the flowers, vegetables, and fruits [ 27 , 29 ]. To date, more than 600 anthocyanins have been identified in nature [ 29 ], including the anthocyanins described in murtilla fruit as shown in Table 4 along with their corresponding structures shown in Figure 2 .…”