COMPARISON OF QUALITY BETWEEN ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL STRAWBERRIES FROM MULTIPLE FARMS

Strawberries are appreciated worldwide. However, a large quantity of agrochemicals is used in their production because of their highly susceptibility to pests and diseases. Many studies have compared the quality of fruits grown on organic production system and conventional system, but results are often contradictory. The aim of this study was to compare the strawberries fruits quality (Fragaria ananassa Duch) grown under organic and conventional production systems. Seven pairs of farms were selected, and fruits were collected at different times and production locations. Experimental design was completely randomized, with a 2 x 5 factorial scheme (two production system types x five storage periods) with four replicates of ten strawberries. Strawberries produced under organic production system exhibited higher soluble solids contents and firmer pulp than those produced under conventional system. Weight loss, titratable acidity and ascorbic acid concentrations were not influenced by farming systems. Conventional system resulted in fruits with lower rot index, while strawberries produced under organic production system exhibited higher soluble solids contents and firmer pulp. Thus, in this study it was observed that each production system was responsible for benefit different attributes in strawberries.