## 1 Introduction
Most of these trials have been conducted to evaluate the agronomical performance of biodegradable films on the plant yield and fruit quality, weed control, and biodegradability in soil, while only few studies have addressed the influences on strawberry qualitative and nutraceuticalI features [8]. Very recently, the impact of an innovative Mater-Bi film, grade EF08P0, indicated as N5, was compared to a commercial Mater-Bi mulch, grade EF04P0 (N18), and to a conventional non-biodegradable PE film under farm conditions over long-lasting cultivation on high-raised beds (typical of the Southern Italy) and was assessed on the properties of two strawberry cultivars (cvs), namely Elide and Sabrina [8]. In particular, for strawberry cultivation over a period of 230 days, [PERSON] et al. (2022) evaluated at four harvesting dates (30 March, 4 May, 17 May, 1 June 2021) the soluble solid content, ascorbic acid, tittatable acidity, polyphenols, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity in relation to the cultivar and the three mulching films (PE, N5, and N18). The content of total soluble solid, polyphenols, and anthocyanins were modified by the mulching type, while antioxidant activity and ascorbic acid were substantially unaffected. The variation of relevant parameters was indicative of the fact that the mulching condition significantly affects the maturation of strawberries [8]. Furthermore, this study evaluated the composition of nutritionally relevant compounds in strawberries, while the organoleptic characteristics were not defined. Perceived sweetness, which is correlated to the content of sugars, is the key factor for consumers' liking of strawberries, and it is one of the main traits considered for breeding programs [10]. Nevertheless, higher sugar contents alone may negatively affect other critical traits, including longer fruit development periods and yield losses [11]. Sensory-chemical studies have recognized that specific VOCs, referred to as sweetness-enhancing volatiles, can increase sweetness perception [10]. VOCs typically occur at much lower amount than sugars (up to 10\({}^{-6}\) times), while even a slight increase of the sweetness-enhancing volatiles would likely result in improved sensations of sweetness and overall acceptance at a lower carbon cost for the industry-demanded agronomic features. Thus, non-sugar sources of sweetness would be a very good alternative to increasing liking, as this practice is not detrimental to the horticultural traits and can allow putative markers to engineer the strawberry flavour from breeding populations [10]. In light of the importance given to the sensory perception, the effects of both cvs and mulching films on the profile of VOCs were evaluated by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction coupled to gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). Two strawberry cvs., Elide and Sabrina, grown as previously reported in [PERSON] et al. [8], were sampled at the most suitable harvest time (1 June 2022) to explore the number and content of the components previously indicated as putative sweetness-enhancing volatiles as influenced by different combinations of cultivar and mulching film.