TITLE:
Why Blueberries?
AUTHORS:
Ebru Kafkas, İpek Ürün
KEYWORDS:
Blueberries, Superfoods, Biochemical Properties, Health Benefits, Nutrient Composition
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.14 No.8,
August
31,
2023
ABSTRACT: Small berry fruits, like blueberries, are popular due to their appearance, are easy to eat and have a unique taste. Blueberries belong to the Cyanococcus section of the Ericaceae family. They are known to be one of the richest sources of natural antioxidants. Blueberries are a flavorful and colorful fruit, known for their health benefits attributed to numerous bioactive compounds with various therapeutic effects. The research aims to understand the metabolic and genetic factors that influence the nutritional and sensory qualities of blueberries. They can be consumed as either fresh or processed such as snacks, desserts, fruit salads, and with ice cream, yogurt or processed products such as frozen berries into conserves, purees and juices, dried fruit. They are rich in organic acids phenolic compounds that protect human against a wide variety of diseases since blueberry has high antioxidant activity. In this review, blueberry worldwide production trend and the effect of blueberry nutrient content on human health will be discussed. And there are also some studies carried out in recent years to determine the chemical composition such as sugars, organic acids and phenolic compounds by advanced methodologies in blueberry fruits. This review could be beneficial for future studies will be conducted on blueberry production and its nutritional content.