Strawberries are one of those products that can generate allergies, especially in kids. Recent studies showed how the fruit contains an allergen that seems to be directly responsible for the red colour of strawberries.
The Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura - Unità di Ricerca per la Frutticoltura di Forlì (CRA-FRF) has been working on the development of new genotypes that grow white fruit.
Fragaria vesca.
Walther Faedi, director of CRA-FRF, told FreshPlaza that he has supplied Hotel Royal in the Pusteria valley with some of the new plants (Fragaria x ananassa as well as Fragaria vesca) to verify whether the fruit still caused allergic reactions to Ms. Astrid Watschinger, manager of the hotel.
Fragaria x ananassa white strawberries.
In addition to eating these delicious white strawberries without problems, Astrid also thought about making jam, so she can still eat them when the season is over.
"A weird thing is happening - clients are curious about the white strawberries in our flowerbeds, but nobody tastes them because they think they are not ready yet!," said Astrid.