yumberry

New in 2007 discussions about superfruits is this species of Chinese origin with the alluring name -- yumberry (Myrica rubra), also more commonly called bayberry.

Other names depend on which one of 50 species in the Myrica genus is of interest -- candleberry, wax myrtle, bay-rumberry, sweet gale, and in China, yangmei.

Myrica species grow in temperate regions throughout the world, but commercial crops for the increasing world demand appear to be available presently only from China.

Myrica rubra L.

[follow the Wikipedia links]

Background

the name, yumberry, may only have been used since 2003 and first appeared in North American industry news about exotic juices in 2007

like "goji" for wolfberry and "seaberry" for sea buckthorn, there are no references to yumberry in scientific literature; these are marketing names

like açaí, yumberries grow on trees (up to 20 m tall) rather than on shrubs, bushes or vines as for most berries

Myrica species are evergreen (retain their leaves throughout changing seasons)

the fruit is called a drupe in botany, meaning it has an outer shell with a single stone seed in the middle surrounded by juicy pulp; açaí, olive and cherry are also drupes

the leaves and outer shells of yumberries are harvested for their high wax content used to make candles; the leaves are also an effective insect repellant and flavoring for Danish beers

the Australian government has written a horticultural report on bayberry (yumberry) to encourage crop development -- click!

searching the scientific name, Myrica rubra or bayberry, in medical literature shows a substantial amount of research has been published about the Myrica species, much of it indicating possible health benefits for people including bayberries regularly in their diets

100 medical research reports are in the database of the US National Library of Medicine; 23 since 2005

yumberry fruit

Why is yumberry of current interest

for consumer products ?

there is growing consumer demand for novel tastes and fruit experiences

yumberry pulp and juice have red pigmentation, indicating the presence of

phenolics (click to read review)

undocumented reports claim it has good levels of essential minerals and vitamins

Snapshot of yumberry medical research, 2003-7

ellagic acid is the dominant phenolic in yumberry juice among many isolated, including high contents of tannins and anthocyanins (click for abstract) (ellagic acid is present in many common berries, including blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, blackberries and red grapes)

a subspecies of black yumberry had higher antioxidant capacity than pink or red yumberry (click for abstract)

anti-cancer activity was demonstrated in laboratory tests using extracts of leaves from Myrica gale (click for abstract)

a delphinidin (anthocyanin) extract from yumberry induced apoptosis (increased rate of cell death) in human breast tumors in vitro (click for abstract)

a delphinidin extract from bark demonstrated anti-viral activity in vitro (click for abstract) -- most of the medical research on yumberry has been on extracts from tree bark