Comparison of nutritional and nutraceutical properties in cultivated fruits of Fragaria vesca L. produced in Italy

Individual sugars, organic acids, total polyphenols, vitamin C and antiradical activity (as measured by DPPH method) were quantified in cultivated Fragaria vesca berries, comparing different varieties (Regina delle Valli, Alpine, Sara and Valitutto) and different environments with regard to altitude. Cultivar effect mainly influenced the concentration of total polyphenols and antiradical activity which are strongly correlated (R2=0.91; P=0.001); conversely, altitude seemed to exert an influence in sugar and organic acid composition. The comparison of the general quality of the most diffused cultivar of F. vesca (Regina delle Valli and Alpine) evidenced that both cultivars have the same nutritional properties, whereas Regina delle Valli is better than Alpine from the point of view of total polyphenolic content (716 vs 471mg catechin/100g fresh weight) and radical scavenging activity (301 vs 219ml DPPH solution/100g fresh weight), thus resulting more attractive from the health protecting attributes point of view. F. vesca berries showed also a concentration of sugars, citric acid, malic acid and total polyphenols much higher than those reported in literature for Fragaria x ananassa.