Strawberry Season 2008 |
[follow the Wikipedia links] In northern latitudes during June, it's the beginning of strawberry season -- one of the first northern berries to fruit. Look here for a previous Berry Doctor's review on the strawberry (click!) Do you agree it's among the World's Most Popular Fruits ? Article on strawberry nutrients by The World's Healthiest Foods
*** Little known fact *** how many species of strawberries are there in the world? 600 ! New Science Evidence for historical scientific interest in strawberries comes from the amount of medical research on this fruit. Since 1929, there are
Wimbledon indulgence: strawberries 'n cream * Bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of strawberry jams. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2007 Sep;62(3):127-31. Summary of this research Strawberries represent the main source of ellagic acid in the Brazilian diet. They are also good sources of flavonoids, mainly anthocyanins, and phenolic acids, to which many beneficial health effects may be attributed. However, as the fruit is not available all the year, the objective of this work was to determine whether strawberry jams could also represent a good source of bioactive compounds. In the current study, five different commercially available strawberry jams were characterized in relation to flavonoids, total phenolics, free and total ellagic acid contents, and antioxidant capacity. Anthocyanins were detected only in two jams at very low content. Results indicated that jams can also represent a good source of antioxidant compounds, although compared to the fruit important losses occur.
The yellow seeds (called achenes, "eh-keens") of strawberries are actually the true fruit. Because there are so many achenes, strawberries are excellent sources of omega fatty acids typical of many seeds. Achenes are also the richest source of antioxidant phenolics in a strawberry!
* Phenolic Compounds in Strawberry Fruits and Antioxidant Capacity. J Agric Food Chem. 2007 May 30;55(11):4395-406. Authors: Aaby K, Ekeberg D, Skrede G. Norway.
Summary of this research About 40 phenolic antioxidants were identified in strawberries, including glycosides of quercetin, kaempferol, cyanidin, pelargonidin, and ellagic acid, together with flavanols, derivatives of p-coumaric acid, and ellagitannins. New quercetin and ellagic acid compounds were reported for the first time. Vitamin C was the single most significant antioxidant (24%), whereas ellagitannins and anthocyanins were polyphenols with high contributions to total antioxidant capacity.
* Isolation of strawberry polyphenols with anti-cancer activity in laboratory studies J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Feb 13;56(3):670-5.
Summary of this research Anthocyanins in strawberries -- cyanidin, pelargonidin and kaempferol -- were the most potent antioxidants. Whole extracts of strawberries inhibited growth of human oral, colon, and prostate cancer cells in laboratory experiments (not yet shown in humans). This study adds to growing evidence for the biological activity of strawberry phenolics and their potential impact on human health.
Additional medical research on strawberries (click)
Strawberry Facts (California Strawberry Commission)
********* Around The World With Strawberries
they'd wrap around the world 15 times. That's enough strawberries to provide every American household with 12 one-pint baskets! ********* 4 powerful nutrients especially rich in strawberries 1. vitamin C, 136% of the Daily Value (DV) 2. dietary fiber, 13% of DV 3. essential mineral, manganese, 21% of DV 4. omega fatty acids (from all those seeds!), especially alpha-linolenic (omega-3) and linoleic (omega-6) acids Click here for the full ** In-depth Nutritional Profile of Strawberries from World's Healthiest Foods (click!)
from the California Strawberry Commission (click!) ** World's Healthiest Foods on strawberries (click, treat yourself to an outstanding resource) __________________________________________ Keep strawberries in your diet year-round! Try this simple smoothie recipe, click!
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