As part of the bachelor’s thesis of the former student—and now Biotechnology Engineer—Isaac Peña-Romero, we analyzed polyphenols in strawberry leaves using both high-field NMR (750 MHz, Bruker) and benchtop NMR (60 MHz, Magritek). The findings validate the application of low-field NMR for profiling such compounds. Notably, the study highlights the potential of Fragaria × ananassa cultivars Marisol and Festival as promising sources of bioactive polyphenols.

This research was supported by Ley del Cemento N°9829 at Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC). It involved the collaboration of Prof. Fabián Villalta-Romero and Prof. Karla Salas-Arias from the Biotechnology Research Center at TEC, as well as Dr. Karla Ramírez-Gualito from Universidad Anáhuac, Mexico. This work is part of a broader initiative uniting research groups committed to democratizing access to NMR technology in Costa Rica and across the region.

The study was published in Pure and Applied Chemistry, the official journal of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), published by Walter de Gruyter. The journal is currently ranked Q3 in the Chemistry/Multidisciplinary category (Journal Citation Reports).

We warmly invite all interested readers to access and explore our publication. If you are unable to download the manuscript, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Link: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/pac-2025-0475/html