As far as healthy foods go, berries make the top of the list. They contain potent antioxidants, which decrease or reverse the effects of free radicals. Unsurprisingly, the benefits of berries are extoled in one study after another. It is usually the exotic Goji, Acerola or Acai berries that make the headlines as Superfoods, but for the health-savvy European consumer the native homegrown species could be even more alluring.The research suggests that black raspberries grown in Central Europe show greater health benefits than their better known cousins – raspberries or blackberries.
A group of researchers led by Anna Małgorzata Kostecka-Gugała measured the content of phenolics and anthocyanins in black raspberries, red raspberries and blackberries, assessing their antioxidant potential and health benefits. They were able to confirm that the antioxidant activity of natural products correlates directly with their health promoting properties.
It turns out that the amount of antioxidants in black raspberries was 3X higher than the other fruits under investigation. Remarkably, the number was even higher for phenolics or the amount of anthocyanines – with black raspberries topping their humble cousins by over 1000%. But most interestingly, black raspberries seem to be characterized by a higher content of secondary metabolites, which have been proved beneficial for human health.
The Central Europe-grown variety of black raspberries showed greater health benefits than raspberries and blackberries. As there is no significant difference fruits collected in either summer or autumn they should remain a solid staple on our diet throughout the seasons. http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=159147&CultureCode=en
The content of phenolic compounds, including anthocyanins, as well as antioxidant properties of fruit extracts were analysed. A number of methods were employed: ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity involving both colorimetric and EPR spectrometric measurements. From among all the tested fruits black raspberries had the largest antioxidant capacity as verified by all methods used in this study. These berries were also the most abundant in phenolic and anthocyanin compounds. Blackberries were characterised by larger antioxidant capacity than red raspberry fruits which were accompanied by higher content of total phenolics and anthocyanins. Berries of primocane-fruiting cultivars, often used for intensive agricultural production, generally did not differ in the total phenolic and anthocyanin content as well as in the antioxidant capacity as compared to the traditional, floricane-fruiting ones.
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