More expensive than cherries, why is “white strawberry” so popular?

Audit expert: Wang Guoyi

Postdoctoral fellow in Nutrition and Food Safety, China Agricultural University

Some time ago, the "strawberry tower" became popular all over the Internet, but some people bought strawberry towers made of white or green strawberries. Was the consumer deceived? In addition to the common red strawberries, there are also uncommon colors such as white and green strawberries. Some people are worried that these uncommon strawberries are cultivated by genetically modified technology and are harmful to the human body. Is this true? Strawberries are relatively delicate, so what are the storage methods? Let's discuss it together.

Source of the new variety of white strawberries｜A shopping website

Why do strawberries come in different colors?

The main color pigment of strawberry fruit is anthocyanin . In nature, the colors of fruit basically include red, yellow and green, corresponding to the three pigments of anthocyanin, carotenoid and chlorophyll respectively.

In the early stages of strawberry fruit growth, chlorophyll occupies the majority of the cells. As the strawberry fruit matures, chlorophyll is gradually decomposed, forming the green background color of the strawberry fruit, while the amount of carotenoids and anthocyanins contained in it gradually increases, affecting the coloring of the strawberry fruit. This is why strawberry fruit is white or green in the early stages of growth, and gradually turns pink and red as it grows.

Source: pexels

According to research by Professor Kang Chunying of Huazhong Agricultural University and other researchers, strawberry color can be regulated through breeding. Mutants of the white fruit variety of forest strawberry can be obtained through tissue culture seedling variants, so white strawberries are obtained through conventional breeding and are not genetically modified products.

White strawberry variety advantages

During this period, strawberries are back online in supermarkets, and we will find that white strawberries are often more expensive. Why do people cultivate white strawberries?

The genus Strawberry includes about 25 species, of which 8 species such as forest strawberry and five-leaf strawberry have white fruit types, while the remaining 17 species do not have or have not yet been found to have white fruit types. Currently, the white fruit type of the octoploid pineapple strawberry is mainly cultivated commercially. According to scientific research on a variety of white fruit types, some white strawberry fruit types have small hollow piths, good taste, and good overall performance. Some white fruit types have a higher content of soluble solids, which means that white strawberries taste sweeter, stickier, and lighter than red strawberries.

Light snow-white strawberry source｜A shopping website

The white varieties currently planted in my country are mainly "Xiaobai", "Snow White", "Snow White Angel" and "Taoxun". "Xiaobai" was bred by Chinese farmers in 2006 after they discovered mutant strawberry seedlings. "Snow White" was selected and bred by the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences; "Snow White Angel" and "Taoxun" were both introduced from Japan. White strawberries are rich in ingredients that increase sweetness, and studies have shown that although the "Snow White" variety matures later, it is a disease-resistant strawberry variety with good performance, which can reduce the amount of pesticides used in planting.

Picking and storing strawberries

When buying strawberries, try to choose fruits that are three-quarters colored, well-proportioned in shape, and of moderate size. It is best to eat the purchased strawberries in time, as they taste better and have higher nutritional value. If you buy too many strawberries, you can store them in the refrigerator. At low temperatures, the strawberries' respiration is weakened and the energy consumed is reduced, thus achieving the purpose of preserving them. The skin of strawberries is relatively delicate and can easily go bad if bumped, so be sure to leave enough space when storing them.

Source: pixabay

Many of the strawberries we buy in stores are shipped from other places, so how to store and keep them fresh during transportation? At present, the storage and preservation technologies of strawberries at home and abroad are roughly divided into controlled atmosphere preservation technology, heat treatment preservation technology, edible coating preservation technology, corrugated box coating preservation technology, irradiation preservation technology , etc.

Controlled atmosphere preservation technology mainly uses gas absorbents or changes the gas composition in the package to reduce the intensity of fruit respiration, thereby inhibiting the reproduction of microorganisms and achieving fruit preservation. Heat treatment refers to placing the strawberry fruit in hot water, hot steam and other environments for a period of time before storing it. This can effectively inhibit the reproduction of microorganisms and inactivate the activity of senescence enzymes. Its operation is relatively simple and is one of the most widely used physical preservation technologies.

Edible coating technology, as the name suggests, is to coat a layer of edible natural substances on strawberries, close the micropores on the surface of strawberries, form a sealed environment, reduce the intensity of strawberry respiration, inhibit water evaporation, and prevent microbial invasion. Corrugated paper preservation is to coat the inner surface of the carton with a preservative to extend the storage period of strawberries. Irradiation preservation technology uses rays to irradiate strawberries, which can not only maintain the appearance of strawberries, but also reduce the intensity of respiration. These preservation technologies are relatively safe and can be eaten with confidence. For safety, it is recommended to buy strawberries at regular supermarkets.

At this point, everyone already knows that white and green strawberries are also common varieties. Don’t believe the statement that "white strawberries are genetically modified fruits and are harmful to the body". Scientific breeding methods can make our lives and diets more colorful.