Albion came top in a research project on UK strawberries to find the ideal strawberry eating experience.
Scientists from two universities worked with two commercial laboratories, as well as a perfumer, to compare the flavour of seven different UK strawberry cultivars and analyse their colour.
Dr Hazel MacTavish-West, a Cambridge-based plant scientist, co-ordinated the research on behalf of Hargreaves Plants. She looked at the flavour and colour of the fruits using human sensory assessment of sweetness, acidity and overall flavour intensity, and the results from laboratory studies that quantify the amount of flavour compounds or pigments present.
She said: “There was a huge variation in the amount of juice in different varieties; some tasted very tangy and acidic and others were quite sweet. There were only a few varieties that actually tasted like a strawberry should.”
Scientists from Nottingham University blended strawberries into a smoothie, to mimic what happens when eaten and to measure their flavour profile. According to their results, Albion had twice the amount of flavour compounds compared with its nearest rival, with a balance of sweetness and acidity and a well-rounded, intense strawberry flavour.
MacTavish-West said: “Humans react to flavour and smell in a very deep, instinctive way. Our sense of taste and smell is deeply linked to the limbic system in our brains, which is responsible for emotions and feelings. This means that eating a strawberry that tastes like one we ate as a child, or another good time (like when our favourite tennis player actually won Wimbledon) has the ability to take you back there momentarily in your mind.”
