Food Product Design: Ingredient Insight - February 2005 - Bring on the Blues

February 2005

Bring on the Blues

By Nancy BackasContributing Editor

Blueberries are one of the three berries native to North America. Until the early 1900s, they were only grown wild. Today, we cultivate blueberries called the highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum and V. ashei) that join the Native American blueberry, the wild lowbush (V. angustifolium). About 27 states grow blueberries, as do Canada, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Northern and Eastern Europe. The United States and Canada are the largest world producers of both cultivated and wild blueberries. Highbush blueberries meet almost the entire market for fresh product, while lowbush blueberries are first frozen and then used mainly as an ingredient.

Over the last five years, blueberries' extraordinarily high antioxidant content emerged as one of the biggest health stories. Recent research on condensed tannin content combined with a host of other studies brings the blueberry to the top on the list of healthful fruits. Today, due in great part to their healthful properties, blueberries are enormously popular, now added to a vast array of products lining shelves in the United States and overseas.

Berried treasures The potential beneficial effects of blueberries on eyesight, memory and other aspects of aging have made nutraceutical headlines on a regular basis. One recent study, funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), Bethesda, MD, and USDA, showed that certain foods containing antioxidants might act to stem oxygen free-radical damage in the body, and that consumption of these foods promotes good health and decreases the risk of degenerative diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and various cancers. Other studies measuring the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of different fruits and vegetables found that blueberries are No. 1 in antioxidant activity. For example, highbush blueberries provide 2,400 ORAC units per 100 grams, compared to No. 2 on the list, blackberries, which provide 2,000 ORAC units per 100 grams. And this past December, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry released the latest research findings concluding that proanthocyanidins (a.k.a., condensed tannins), compounds found in wild blueberries, might effectively inhibit the promotion stage of cancer.

U.S. consumers are just starting to recognize blueberries' value to good health. "Three years ago, there was no wild-blueberry juice or drink on the market; now, there are a dozen. Five years ago there was only one cereal containing dried blueberries, now there are many," says John Suavé, managing director of Swardlick Marketing Group, Portland, ME, and former director of the Wild Blueberry Association, Bar Harbor, ME.

Because of the their healthful properties, blueberries appear in almost all diet programs, both trendy and traditional (Weight Watchers, The Zone, South Beach, Atkins). Of all berries, they are the lowest in carbohydrates and the lowest on the glycemic scale, and are a good source of fiber. One cup of blueberries, for example, contains about 80 calories, 21 of grams carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, and has a glycemic score of 59. It also provides 25% (3.87 mg) of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C, as well as small amounts of vitamin A, calcium and iron.

A major area of focus has been the power of blueberries to combat aging. Animal studies at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Medford, MA, concluded that a diet high in blueberries might improve motor skills and actually reverse short-term memory loss that comes with aging. In addition, blueberries, like cranberries, help prevent urinary-tract infections, and the high anthocyanin content improves vision and prevents tired eyes. "While most of the studies conducted thus far have been on animals, work in the future will focus on human studies and the effects of blueberries on health," says Suavé.

The military, too, has driven blueberry-product research as it looks for ways to stem obesity in the troops while also providing products that are shelf stable for 30 years at 80?F. "The military in the United States, concerned with the growing problem of obesity, is interested in the healthful properties of blueberries and has driven a lot of the research, especially in product development," says Tom Payne, food technology consultant to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, Folsom, CA.

A form for every function Blueberries have many properties beyond health benefits that make them attractive to food product designers. Beyond the appealing taste and juicy texture, blueberries keep baked products moist while adding flavor and maintaining taste, texture, shape and color throughout the manufacturing process.   

Available year-round, blueberries come in a variety of forms and sizes suitable for different applications. Wild blueberries, for example, are exclusively used as an ingredient (the U.S. industry is the largest supplier, with a 75% share). They are available individually quick-frozen (IQF), dried, dehydrated, sugar-infused, canned, in concentrate, puréed, powder, extruded, fresh and frozen. Wild blueberries are substantially smaller than their highbush counterparts, and yield up to three times as many berries on a pound per pound basis.

About 60% of the cultivated highbush blueberry market is fresh, whole berries, a market that was only 40% before the new health benefits were revealed. Highbush berries also come in IQF and straight pack; in liquid form as purées, single-strength and concentrated; as single-strength and concentrated juice; as essence; shelf-stable canned in syrup, in water or as fruit filling; and in dried forms as dehydrated, freeze-dried, powder form (drum-dried) and as fruit bits and chips.  

The newest format for wild blueberries is the osmotically preserved blueberry. Fresh or frozen blueberries are placed in a vacuum chamber and undergo a slow natural-infusion process with a sugar-syrup solution and stabilizers. The blueberries are then carefully dried to preserve color and flavor. The process produces a shelf-stable product that does not require refrigeration. The application works well for pastry fillings, in frozen products and in muffins. Osmotically processed blueberries are available in different moisture levels -- lower moisture levels for color-sensitive batters and higher moisture for products like condiments and sauces. Typically, the blueberries are dried to about a 40% moisture level.

"These products have an 18-month shelf life. The osmotic process came about because we needed to find products for Mexican and Taiwanese markets. They wanted blueberries that were not dried or a filling for baked goods. Frozen product didn't work for them because they have small bakeries and once they opened the packages, they had to use all of it. The osmotic berries solved their problem," says Payne.

Blue beverages and more galore One of the biggest surges in blueberry products is in beverages. Five years ago, only one company supplied blueberry concentrate. Now, there are seven or eight and the number is growing. Children find the color blue especially appealing, so it's ending up in many beverages, mostly in combination with other juices, since pure blueberry juice is very strong and somewhat sour, making it an "acquired" taste.

Blueberries' color also adds fun to cookies, soda, ice cream, cereal bars and cereal, blueberry bagels, and swirl bread. They've even made their way into hamburgers. Recently, a Texas school district tested blueberry purée to enhance flavor and to add healthful antioxidant properties. One school district there added the hamburgers to its menu.

Wild blueberries, because they are smaller with lower moisture content, work well in cereals and in baked goods, such as muffins.

"Usually, the rise in interest in one particular food item is a fad, but the interest in blueberries and the research that backs it up seems to have some staying power," Payne concludes.

Nancy Backas is a Chicago-based freelance writer and chef. She has been writing about the foodservice industry for more than 20 years and can be reached at [email protected].

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· Photo credit: U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council

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