LAUSR

BACKGROUND Agriculture represents a productive sector typically characterized by a high water demand, whilst FW availability is a problem of increasing concern in the world and FW resources are becoming insufficient for sustaining agricultural irrigation. The reuse of treated wastewaters (TWWs) for crop irrigation could be an efficient tool of reducing water shortage. Hence, this study evaluated the food quality of Fragaria x ananassa (cultivar Camarosa) fruits irrigated with four kinds of treated wastewaters (TWWs). Strawberries were analysed for yield, sucrose, fructose, glucose, total soluble polyphenols (TSP), total monomeric anthocyanins (TMA), as well as antiradical and antioxidant capacity. In addition, a targeted quantification of the most representative phenolic compounds of strawberry was performed. RESULTS TWWs complied the Italian ministerial decree 185/2003 for wastewater reuse with very few exceptions, mainly represented by chloride concentrations (258-643 mg/L vs a legal threshold of 250 mg/L). The reuse of TWWs reduced fruit yield (10-26%) compared to irrigation with tap water as control. Irrigation with TWWs gave also rise to the decrease of total sugars (14-26%), TSP (2-10%) and TMA (29-49%). Individual phenolic acids, flavonols and flavanols were quite stable in response to the irrigation with TWWs, whereas anthocyanidins significantly decreased. CONCLUSIONS Although TWWs negatively affected fruit quality, nutritional and nutraceutical parameters herein determined were in line with data previously reported for strawberries purchased in the market or cultivated in research orchards, thus suggesting that the use of TWWs does not prevent the fruit marketability. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.