[follow the Wikipedia links]

Look here for Part 1 of this series on the strawberry industry

and this review on strawberries by The World's Healthiest Foods

Little known fact: how many species of strawberries are there in the world?

600 !

New Science

Evidence for scientific interest in strawberries comes from the history of medical research on this fruit. Since 1929, PubMed citations total 1,045 individual research reports on strawberries, with 80 papers published in the last 12 months.

Characterization of Phenolic Compounds in Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) Fruits

by Different HPLC Detectors and Contribution of

Individual Compounds to Total Antioxidant Capacity.

J Agric Food Chem. 2007 May 30;55(11):4395-406.

Authors: Aaby K, Ekeberg D, Skrede G.

Matforsk AS, Norwegian Food Research Institute, Osloveien 1, N-1430 Aas, Norway, and Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Aas, 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. Quercetin-3-malonylhexoside and a deoxyhexoside of ellagic acid were reported for the first time. Vitamin C was the single most significant antioxidant (24%), whereas ellagitannins and anthocyanins were polyphenols with high contributions.

Additional medical research on strawberries (click)

Strawberry Facts

(California Strawberry Commission)

Around The World With Strawberries

If all the strawberries produced in California this year were laid berry to berry,

they'd wrap around the world 15 times.

That's enough strawberries to provide every American household with 12 pint baskets!

Better Start Eating Strawberries!

Respondents to a recent national survey labeled strawberry lovers as "health conscious, fun loving, intelligent and happy." Non-strawberry lovers, on the other hand, were described as "weird, boring, stuffy--picky, fussy eaters who avoid healthy foods."

Hand-Picked and Packed

All strawberries are picked, sorted and packed by hand in the field. The trays of strawberries are then rushed to shipping facilities where they are cooled-down to about 34 degrees Fahrenheit. (A tray normally contains 12 one-pint baskets.) Within 24 hours of harvest, the strawberries are loaded on refrigerated trucks for delivery to local supermarkets across the country. This unique distribution system ensures that this delicate fruit reaches consumers in fresh-from-the-field condition.

Strawberry Lore and Legend

• In provincial France, strawberries were regarded as an aphrodisiac of the highest quality. Newlyweds traditionally were served a soup of thinned sour cream, strawberries, borage (a European herb whose flavor is reminiscent of cucumber) and powdered sugar.

• The second wife of Henry VIII, Queen Anne Boleyn (1507-36), had a strawberry-shaped birthmark on her neck. Unfortunately, some claimed this fact proved she was a witch.

• The strawberry is recognized as representing absolute perfection in the Victorian language of flowers.

• Medieval stonemasons carved strawberry designs on altars and around the tops of pillars in churches and cathedrals, symbolizing perfection and righteousness. During the same time period, strawberries were served at important state occasions and festivals to ensure peace and prosperity.

• Ever eaten a double strawberry? Legend holds that if you break it in half and share it with a member of the opposite sex, you will soon fall in love with each other.

Strawberries in Literature

Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did.

William Butler

The strawberry grows underneath the Nettle, And wholesome berries thrive and ripen best Neighbour'd by fruit of lesser quality.

William Shakespeare, Henry V

My lord of Ely, when I was last in Holborn, I saw good strawberries in your garden there.
William Shakespeare, Richard III

When as the rye reach to the chin,
And chopcherry, chopcherry ripe within,
Strawberries swimming in the cream,
And schoolboys playing in the stream,
Then O, then O , then O, my true love said,
Till that time come again,
She could not live a maid.
George Peele, The Old Wives Tale

Health and Nutrition Links

Research Links

from the California Strawberry Commission (click!)

World's Healthiest Foods on strawberries (click, treat yourself to an outstanding resource)

Nutritional Profile of Strawberries (click!)

Archives (click!)

Share this information!

Refer a friend to http://berrydoctor.com for sign-up

Dr. Paul
The Berry Doctor