A new antioxidant rich ‘superberry’ from Japan is set to launch in the UK next summer.
The Blue Honeysuckle, or Haskap, claims to contain double the nutraceuticals of other berries, with three times the iron content of a blueberry and twice that of a strawberry. A handful of berries is meant to provide 60% of the RDA of vitamin C.
The oblong-shaped, dark blue berry is celebrated as the ‘elixir of life’ in Japan, which has a national ‘Haskap Day’ celebrating its health benefits.
It has been developed for the UK market by soft fruit supplier CPM in association with the New Forest Fruit Company, and the first UK-grown berries are set to hit shelves next June.
According to CPM, the berry has “a tangy flavor between a blueberry, blackberry and raspberries” – so is suitable as a fresh fruit or as an ingredient for further processing.
Commercial director at CPM Begnat Robichaud said: “This is a really exciting development for the berry industry in the UK, firstly for the berries’ health qualities, and secondly, it looks and tastes different to the current offer.”
Although Blue Honeysuckle grows well in the UK due to cold winters and rainy spring weather, it has a very short havesting window, so fresh berries will initially only be available for four weeks.
However, Robichaud said new varieties were already being planted in the UK, which “should enable seasonal extension in a few years.”
Last week, the government announced that £1.3 million of Agri-Tech Catalyst funding had been awarded to research projects set to revolutionise berry growing in the UK.
The projects, being led by the James Hutton Institute and James Hutton Limited in Dundee, aim to use plant genetics to develop raspberries that are more resilient to pests and diseases and blueberries that are better suited to the UK climate.
It is hoped that the ‘super resilient’ berries will help UK growers increase yields and extend the growing season – enabling consumers to buy British berries all year round.
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