Variation in Volatile Organic Compounds in native, synanthropic accessions and cultivars of the musk strawberry (Fragaria moschata Duchesne ex Weston)

Prior to the world-wide dominance of F. ×ananassa in strawberry production, native species had been cultivated in European gardens for centuries. Especially the musk strawberry (F. moschata) had been highly appreciated due to its fruit size and extraordinary aroma. Detailed studies on the diversity of the species’ fruit aroma are lacking, although breeding aims to improve strawberry aroma by complex crossings during recent years. Today a few cultivars, abandoned synanthropic occurrences and native populations of this species exist in Germany. Here we characterised aroma profiles of F. moschata accessions by analysing Volatile Organic Compounds. In particular, differences between native and cultivated accessions as well as the diversity in aroma profiles of native populations were investigated. Profiles of Volatile Organic Compounds were analysed by immersion stir bar sorptive extraction-gas chromatography-quadrupol mass spectrometry (imm-SBSE-GC-qMS). These data were compared with a genetic characterisation of samples based on eight microsatellite loci using univariate and multivariate statistical analyses. High amounts of furanones and the key compound methyl anthranilate were characteristic for the aroma profile of F. moschata. We detected a considerable diversity of Volatile Organic Compounds among accessions of F. moschata, particularly among genetically distinct samples from the same population. Native accessions contained more terpenoids but less esters and were moderately differentiated from cultivated samples. The observed patterns of Volatile Organic Compounds indicate that cultivated accessions had been selected for favourable aroma profiles and thus showing traces of domestication. Moreover, native populations harbour a great diversity of Volatile Organic Compounds, which could be also considered for future breeding efforts.