UF Algorithm for Tastier Strawberries Friday Apr 16th, 2021 News Reporter Developing taster fruit seems to be a never-ending process for some scientists. But thanks to the use of artificial intelligence, the perfect tasting strawberry may soon be a reality. This would be great news for Florida's $300 million a year strawberry industry. Vance Whitaker, a UF/IFAS associate professor of horticultural sciences, has developed an algorithm that allows scientists to predict how a strawberry will taste. The data is based on the chemical constitution of its fruit. And takes much less time than a typical consumer taste-test panel. Whitaker and his team used consumer volunteers as well as the new algorithm and found the volatiles they need to boost the strawberry's flavor.