Joanna Cosgrove03.08.10
A common staple in fruit salads, muffins and smoothies, the blueberry doesn’t exactly exude the exotic mystique of goji berries or acai, but don’t be fooled. Despite its size, the sweet, delectable little blueberry is an antioxidant powerhouse and very worthy of the white-hot “superfruit” spotlight.
“Blueberries have always been a favorite because of their natural deliciousness but their popularity soared with the advent of antioxidant awareness,” said Thomas Payne, industry specialist for the US Highbush Blueberry Council of Folsom, CA.
He added that a notable uptick in blueberry consumption occurred following the publication of Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life - Superfoods Rx, a book written by Dr. Steven Pratt that categorized blueberries as “Brainberries,” citing clinical studies showing that blueberries protect the brain from oxidative stress and may play a role in the reduction in the effects of age-related conditions.
The book also placed the blueberry into the superfruit category, which continues to be populated by exotic fruits foreign to the average Western consumer. “Blueberries have always been a favorite because of their natural deliciousness but their popularity soared with the advent of antioxidant-awareness,” commented Mr. Payne. “Foods like blueberries, which are associated with the benefits of antioxidants, became must-haves in people’s everyday diets, but blueberries are especially successful because they are both an easy snack eaten fresh and an easy to formulate ingredient for product development in all categories, from dairy and baked goods to beverages, cereals and snacks.”
Consumer familiarity also bodes well for blueberries as it relates to food safety issues. “Consumers have been given reason for concern about the origins of their foods, especially with the exotic and unfamiliar. That’s where blueberries come in,” said Mr. Payne. “People trust blueberries; they trust what they grew up with. They remember their parents and grandparents eating and loving blueberries. They serve blueberries to their children. Blueberries have always been considered good, wholesome and delicious—comfort food with benefits. You can’t get any more super than that!”
Favorable Research
Rich in antioxidants, blueberries contain beneficial anthocyanins and phenolics that have demonstrated the capacity to protect neurons in the brain against oxidative stress. “In one study, Jim Joseph, director of the neuroscience laboratory in the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center (HNRC), fed the equivalent of a human eating one cup of blueberries a day—to mice and then ran them through a series of motor skills tests,” recalled Mr. Payne. “He found that the blueberry-fed mice performed better than their control group counterparts in motor behavioral learning and memory, and he noticed an increase in exploratory behavior. When he examined their brains, he found a marked decrease in oxidative stress in two regions of the brain and better retention of signal-transmitting neurons compared with the control mice.”
The compound that appeared responsible for this neuron protection—anthocyanin—is not only responsible for the blueberry’s blue color, it’s also considered to be the key component of the blueberry’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. “Blueberries, along with other colorful fruits and vegetables, test high in their ability to subdue free radicals. These free radicals, which can damage cell membranes and DNA through a process known as oxidative stress, are blamed for many of the dysfunctions and diseases associated with aging,” explained Mr. Payne.
Those findings could become increasingly important as the U.S. population ages. “It is projected that by 2050 more than 30% of Americans will be over 65 and will have the decreased cognitive and motor function that accompanies advanced age,” Mr. Payne said. “Joseph is currently testing the effects of blueberries on humans. Preliminary results show that people who ate a cup of blueberries a day have performed 5–6% better on motor skills tests than the control group.”
Market Worth
The blueberry’s potent superfruit properties are resonating with consumers. A record amount of fresh blueberries may be shipped to market this season, according to a September 2009 preliminary “guesstimate” made by the North American Blueberry Council (NABC).
In early August, the NABC forecast a 2009 North American highbush blueberry crop totaling 433 million pounds, a more than 26 million pound increase over the total of 407 million pounds produced in 2008. A preliminary estimate of the lowbush crop for 2009 is currently at 236 million pounds, down 10 million pounds from the total of 246 million pounds produced in 2008.
“As of August it looked like approximately 60% of the 2009 highbush blueberry crop could go to the fresh market (265 million pounds) and the remaining 40% to the process market (168 million pounds),” said Mr. Payne. “If these figures hold, total fresh blueberry movement in 2009 would be approximately 45 million pounds greater than the total of 220 million pounds of fresh blueberries shipped in 2008.”
NABC domestic per capita consumption statistics also showed the continued consumer interest in fresh blueberries. “Per capita fresh blueberry consumption in the U.S. totaled an estimated 12.3 ounces per person in 2008, a 33% increase over the previous high of 9.2 ounces of fresh blueberries consumed per person in 2007,” said Mr. Payne. “Per capita fresh consumption has nearly doubled over the past five years from a total of 6.2 ounces in 2003 to the currently estimated 12.3 ounces in 2008.”
Total U.S. per capita consumption of highbush blueberries came in at an estimated 26.6 ounces per person in 2008, nearly four ounces more per person than the total of 22.7 ounces per person the previous year. Process blueberry consumption reached an estimated 14.3 ounces per person in 2008 compared to 13.5 ounces per person in 2007.
“Consumers equate blueberries with antioxidant power and consequently readily accept them as an ingredient in almost any product,” said Mr. Payne. “Food designers and formulators know they can put blueberries on the label and take advantage of the image of blueberries as a healthy, delicious fruit full of natural goodness.”
Because blueberries are so easily incorporated into food and beverage formulations, the highbush blueberry industry developed “The Real Blueberry Seal” to help food producers feature real blueberries in their products. It helps buyers—from the ordinary consumer to food professionals-identify real blueberry products.
“Products must contain real highbush blueberries in any form and use an adequate amount of blueberries as standard in a certain product category. Typically this means that the blueberries can be seen and tasted in the finished product. We’d like to see blueberries on the top of the ingredient list,” concluded Mr. Payne. “With heightened consumer awareness of health benefits of blueberries in the news, the Real Blueberry Seal program assures that the blueberries are the real deal.”