Nutrient-Rich Berries: Growing Practices and Food Uses

By Agrihortico

Berries are considered as the most nutritious plant-based foods as all types of edible berry fruits are excellent source of easily digestible dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. In fact, several scientific studies have confirmed the fact that berries such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries and blueberries are the most nutritious antioxidant rich foods available today. Since these berries are antioxidant rich, they have anti-cancer properties as well. Antioxidants are capable of scavenging the free radicals present within our body and thus capable of reducing free radical damage of our body cells. That is how regular berry consumption prevents lifestyle diseases such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Agrihortico
• Release date: Mar 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005653828

Agrihortico

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Nutrient-Rich Berries: An Introduction

Berries are considered as the most nutritious plant-based foods as all types of edible berry fruits are excellent source of easily digestible dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. In fact, several scientific studies have confirmed the fact that berries such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries and blueberries are the most nutritious antioxidant rich foods available today. Since these berries are antioxidant rich, they have anti-cancer properties as well. Antioxidants are capable of scavenging the free radicals present within our body and thus capable of reducing free radical damage of our body cells. That is how regular berry consumption prevents lifestyle diseases such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes.

Berries are easily digestible foods as these are nothing but nutrients and water. Berries in combination with sufficient amounts of cereals and pulses provide wholesome nutrition to human body. So if you are looking for a healthier lifestyle, start today to include one or more of these berries in your daily diet.

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Figure 1: Berries

As per the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, an adult human being requires 17 essential nutrients on daily basis for healthy functioning of the body.  These are Protein, Fiber, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Zinc, Vitamin C, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12, Folate (Vitamin B-9), Vitamin A, Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), Vitamin K (phylloquinone), and Vitamin D. Among these, only vitamin B-12 and Vitamin D are absent from berries.

As we are aware, vitamin D is a ‘sunlight’ vitamin and direct exposure to sunlight in the morning or evening hours build up sufficient amounts of vitamin D in our body. For vitamin B-12, we can include eggs, milk, yoghurt, fish and meat in our diet. For nourishing our body with all other nutrients, we can blindly rely on these wonderful berry fruits and can include these fruits in our breakfast foods and snacks.

This book is about "Nutrient-Rich Berries". A detailed account of growing practices, nutritional information, health benefits and food uses of strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, bilberries, cranberries, lingonberries, and huckleberries is available in this book.

This book also gives a brief account of other berries such as dew berries, cloud berries, salmon berries, nagoon berries and hybrid berries such as logan berries, tay berries and boysen berries. A list of some lesser known berries is given in the last chapter.

Strawberry

Strawberry plant is a small, herbaceous annual plant with trailing stems. It is a plant of subtropical to temperate climate. The plant is mainly grown for its fruits which are known for its characteristic strawberry flavour and aroma, and also for its bright red colour.

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Taxonomy: Taxonomic classification of strawberry plant is given below:

Fruit Description: Strawberry fruit is actually an aggregate fruit. The fleshy edible part of the strawberry is the modified receptacle of the inflorescence. The tiny seed-like structures (achene) on the outside of the fruit are actually transformed ovaries with seeds within them. A strawberry fruit has about 200 seeds on its external membrane. Flowers appear as hermaphrodite flowers, but function as either male or female flower. Ripe fruits are naturally sweet, flavorful, juicy, fleshy, and very delicious.

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Figure 2: Strawberry ripe and unripe fruits

Varieties/Cultivars: There are mainly three types of strawberry varieties based on the length of the growing season; these are early, mid-season, and late varieties.

Early and Mid-Early cultivars: These varieties have a short growing season.

Mid-Season cultivars: These varieties have an average length of growing season.

Late cultivars: These varieties have a long growing season.

Early Varieties: Some examples of early varieties of strawberry are Cambridge Prize Winner, Cambridge Vigour, and Merton Princess.

Cambridge Prize Winner: It is an early variety; they bear large conical-shaped fruits with bright crimson colour; it is a good cultivar for growing in sandy soils.

Cambridge Vigour: It is an early variety; they bear glossy, crimson-coloured fruits; it is a frost-hardy cultivar and is resistant to diseases.

Merton Princess: It is a mid-early variety and they bear large, crimson-coloured fruits.

Pusa Early Dwarf: It is an early variety that can