Strawberry is an important berry specie with long traditions in Norway. The Norwegian strawberries have a high status among consumers and are famous for its excellent taste. Despite this preference, there have been a sharp increase in strawberry imports, especially outside the Norwegian season. However, new opportunities for production have made it possible to combine the high yield potential of the imported strawberry plants with cultivation in substrate under high plastic tunnels. Also, greenhouse production and production in closed systems have become relevant for strawberry production in Norway. However, in parallel with development of new production systems and increasing imports, the taste and flavour quality of Norwegian berries have been challenged. Studies of consumer taste preferences emphasizes the importance of sweetness and the intensity of strawberry flavour. The strawberry taste is complicated and specific, and preferences is affected by several factors such as age and gender. Meeting the strawberry flavour preferences is a complex interaction between sugars, acids, and aroma substances. It is nevertheless known that the taste and flavour experience is reduced by factors which decrease the total content of aroma substances and sugars, and increase the acid content. Since the ripening process for strawberry stops at harvest, the quality cannot be improved after picking. The role of preharvest factors under modern production systems must be understood to improve consumers approval and optimize the end-product. Genotype/cultivar, cultivation practice and temperature/light are all factors that alone and in combination is proven to affect taste quality. The main goal of StrawberryTaste is therefore to develop R&D-based knowledge that will create a basis for optimizing external factors for the best possible taste of strawberries produced in modern production systems in Norway, in step with increased value creation of Norwegian berries.
