Context: why focus on specific compounds?
Strawberry cultivation faces pressure due to changing market demand, increasing competition, and stricter requirements regarding sustainability and health. Buyers—ranging from retailers to the processing industry—are seeking products with demonstrable added value: superior nutritional quality, appealing flavor, and a clear narrative around health and sustainability.
At the same time, much remains unknown about exactly which bioactive compounds are important, what levels are achievable in practice, and which cultivation practices have the greatest impact on them. There is also a lack of accessible analysis methods that growers and supply chain partners can use to make targeted improvements to their products.
This project addresses this knowledge gap by systematically investigating:
- which compounds in strawberries are relevant to health and quality;
- which analysis methods are suitable and practical to use;
- how cultivar selection, cultivation methods, and processing influence these compounds.
Approach: from analysis methods to trial design
The project runs until January 2028. During this period, research, communication, and the design of practical trials will be carried out in an integrated manner.
The core activities are:
- Research into relevant compounds and analysis methods
A selection of relevant compounds in strawberries—such as vitamins, antioxidants, and other bioactive components—will be made. Subsequently, analysis methods will be identified and tested for reliability, cost-effectiveness, and practical applicability. This will form the basis for further trials. - Research into influencing constituent composition
Greenhouse and cultivation trials examine how factors such as cultivar selection, fertilization, climate settings, and harvest timing affect the composition of constituents. Based on these findings, scenarios are developed for cultivation strategies specifically aimed at health and quality. - Experimental design involving cultivars, cultivation methods, and extraction
A small-scale yet targeted experimental setup is created, combining various cultivars, cultivation methods, and potential extraction steps (for processed products or residual streams). This setup serves as a screening process to identify promising combinations for follow-up research and further validation.
MNEXT’s role and alignment with research themes
Within this project, MNEXT provides substantive and methodological expertise at the intersection of sustainable agrifood, healthy nutrition, and practice-based research. Specifically, MNEXT focuses on:
- collaborating on the selection of relevant compounds and appropriate analytical methods;
- setting up and supervising experimental setups and measurements;
- interpreting research results for application across the value chain, from cultivation to the valorization of residual streams.
The project aligns directly with themes such as sustainable and circular production chains, healthy nutrition and lifestyle, and data- and measurement-driven optimization within the agrifood sector. Furthermore, involving students and lecturers in conducting measurements and analyses creates a powerful learning environment where emerging professionals gain experience with innovative cultivation and analytical techniques.
Insights gained from the project are translated into practical tools and knowledge products—such as fact sheets, educational materials, and guidelines—for growers and supply chain partners. In doing so, the project contributes to both knowledge development and knowledge sharing within the region.
Results, partners, and next steps
By the end of the project, the following will be available:
- an overview of which strawberry constituents show promise as quality and health indicators;
- validated, practical analytical methods;
- initial insights into the extent to which cultivation practices and variety selection influence these constituents;
- a tested experimental setup that allows for the rapid scaling up of follow-up research.
As this project involves an initial, limited screening, follow-up research is explicitly envisaged. In a subsequent phase, it will be possible to:
- test the most promising combinations of varieties, cultivation systems, and processing steps on a larger scale;
- assess the economic feasibility and market potential of “constituent-driven” strawberry cultivation;
- explore applications in new products or the valorization of residual streams.
February 2026 until December 2027
Eric Mattheussens
Onderzoeker Biobased Building Blocks & Products T: +31682502247 E: esgm.mattheussens@avans.nlPartners involved
