The Ripening Berry Ingredients Market

Botanically speaking, a true berry is soft and fleshy, with one or more carpals (layers), including an thin, edible outer layer, and its seeds are in the pulpy layer. Grapes and blueberries fit this definition, but so do tomatoes and eggplants.However, strawberries, blackberries and many other fruits bearing the berry moniker do not fit this definition, yet are classified under a more common usage definition that considers a berry any small sweet fruit that is fleshy and colorful.

Whatever the definition, the popular fruits commonly considered berries have ripened into a bushel chock full of health benefits, including antioxidant, protective, preventive and other functional properties. Besides containing numerous beneficial micronutrients including vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium and folic acid, berries are packed with dietary fiber, which has been linked to reduced cholesterol levels and risk of colon cancer, as well as improvements to digestion and blood sugar levels.

There are hundreds of phenolic compounds in berries. From flavanols (anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins) and flavonols (quercetin) to ellagic acid and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), these fruits are bursting with an overwhelming number of phytonutrients that not only seek and destroy free radicals, but also can deliver antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-mutagenic properties.

Blueberry and its brethren cranberry have been shown effective in combating bacterial infection, especially in the urinary tract.⁶ In fact, cranberry juice has been well studied for its ability to prevent E. coli bacteria from adhering to the epithelial wall of the urinary tract, limiting the development of a urinary tract infection (UTI).⁷ Cranberry has a similar effect on H. pylori and the gastric wall, especially when administered in combination with traditional antibiotics.⁸

According to Arun Hiranandani, senior marketing manager for Ocean Spray Ingredient Technology Group, both cranberry juice and sweetened dried cranberries have been shown to inhibit the adhesion of bacteria to the urinary tract wall. “Independent research published in January 2006⁹ found that subjects demonstrated an increase as high as 50 percent in anti-adherence activity after consuming Ocean Spray’s sweetened dried cranberries,” he reported. “Cranberry concentrate, powder and puree also confer anti-adhesion properties.” He noted cranberry’s anti-adhesion effect could also be helpful in promoting gut health and oral health, including gum disease.¹⁰

While its work against bacteria adhesion in various body systems is legendary, cranberry may also address heart disease by improving cholesterol balance and blood circulation via antioxidant mechanisms.¹¹ This free radical scavenging action has also made it useful in liver and prostate cancer,¹² as well as kidney stones.¹³

Another tasty little fruit, strawberry, also packs quite a healthy punch. Its deep roster of anthocyanins, ellagic acid and other phytonutrients can decrease toxins and limit oxidative damage to DNA,²⁰ which is key to strawberry’s antioxidant protection against neurodegeneration and cancer—primarily the development of esophageal and colon cancers.^21,22 Antioxidants from strawberries also play a role in helping to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).²³

Anthocyanins are also abundant in grapes, as are proanthocyanidins, quercetin and resveratrol. These are central to this berry’s noted improvements to atherosclerosis and CVD, including decreased lipid oxidation, cholesterol aggregation, reduced blood pressure and improved vascular endothelial function, as well as reduced cell adhesion, a factor in inflammation.^24,25,26,27

Other berries have turned in some impressive benefits, according to various research results. Blackberries were shown to impede tumor formation in the oral cavity, while also helping to curb colon cancer development.^28,29 Anthocyanins and other phenolics present in boysenberries and black currants were found to protect cellular DNA against oxidative damage;³⁰ and black currants combined with bilberries, lignonberries and raspberries may protect against lipid oxidation and increase antioxidant capacity in plasma.³¹ Raspberries play well with other berries, combining with blueberries to inhibit mutations in breast and cervical cancer cells,³² while joining cloudberries in counteracting both gram-negative and -positive bacteria.³³