Composition of secondary metabolites in various parts of 'Seolhyang' strawberry plants

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify the content of phenolic and volatile organic compounds in edible and non-edible parts of 'Seolhyang' strawberry plants. We performed a comparative chemical analysis of the compounds found in roots, leaves, petioles, runners, and unripe and ripe fruits during vegetative propagation and reproductive growth. The contents of ellagic and gallic acids in the leaves of runner plants during vegetative propagation were 7.36 ± 1.10 and 5.07 ± 3.66 mg·g -1 FW, respectively, and were higher than those in the other parts. The main volatile organic compound was identified as 3-hexen-1-ol, and it was mostly detected in leaves. The content of ellagic acid in leaves during reproductive growth was 12.96 ± 2.30 mg·g -1 FW, while that in the other parts was below 6.00 mg·g -1 FW. The content of gallic acid in unripe fruits was 2.75 ± 0.48 mg·g -1 FW and was higher than that in the other parts. Ripe fruits contained the lowest contents of ellagic and gallic acids but contained the most diverse volatile organic compounds, including sesquiterpenes, among the tested plant parts. The results indicate that non-edible parts (e.g., leaves and unripe fruits) of strawberry plants can be used as a raw material for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents, and edible parts (i.e., ripe fruits) can be available for making an essential oil.