Abstract

Since an intake of fruits and vegetables displays important effects on the incidence of several chronic and noninfectious diseases in humans, consumers' attention worldwide is focused on identification of functional foods. In this sense, Fragaria chiloensis ssp. chiloensis f. chiloensis fruit has recently emerged as a preferred berry because of its outstanding aroma and exotic white-pink color and high phenolic content. Emerging research provides substantial evidence by which to classify Chilean strawberries as a functional food with several preventive and therapeutic health benefits. Information on the features of the fruit (e.g., quality, physiology, high resistance to pathogens, and sensory attributes) is also scarce. Only a small number of studies provide useful data on handling and storage of the Chilean strawberry; hence, there is no adequate, normalized postharvest strategy for storing and/or producing this species. The objective of this review is to provide and discuss the available literature with an emphasis on physiology aspects and to present 1) fruit physiology and quality, 2) handling and physiological disorders of Chilean strawberry, 3) nutritional content and health properties for consumers, and 4) a highlight of challenges for future research. Again, we discuss the available literature focused on last five-years old with an emphasis on the important postharvest physiology aspects and the molecular mechanisms underlying the quality traits of this exotic strawberry fruit.