Close collaboration between research and the private sector can help Danish berry growers to survive in the competition with cheap berries and cherries from Poland.

Dark with colour and glowing with warmth from the summer sun, blackcurrants and sour cherries are not only delicious treats for juice, jam and jelly, they are also packed with healthy goodies. Their high quality can be the lifesaver for growers of these industrial berries and cherries. There is strong competition from cheap cherries and berries from Poland but by growing ultra healthy and delicious quality fruit Danish growers of blackcurrants and sour cherries can hold their own in the competition.

Collaboration between scientists from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (DJF) at University of Aarhus and the private sector has been established with the aid of public financing to investigate how best to secure a production of high quality industrial berries and cherries.

- By producing a high-quality product such as juice with a high content of pigment and vitamin C, we can promote consumption of Danish berries and cherries. This can be carried out via promotion and marketing, breeding, growing methods and product development, says senior scientist Hanne Lindhard Pedersen from the Department of Horticulture at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences.

One way is to promote the dark berries’ content of healthy compounds through breeding. The very dark colour of blackcurrants and sour cherries is proof that they contain anthocyanins, that are health-promoting natural pigments. The berries and cherries also have a high content of flavonoids, antioxidants and vitamin C. The small, round health packages thus contain compounds that help prevent cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

- There is a huge potential for fertile breeding work because there is great variation between the varieties, says Hanne Lindhard Pedersen on the basis of results from research carried out at the Department of Horticulture. The content of the healthy pigments ranges from 180 to 600 mg per 100 g fruit.

With purposeful breeding the scientists and growers can find out which varieties and growing methods are best. With product development new methods of manufacturing can be developed so that the healthy compounds do not disappear.

Three work groups have been established and their tasks are to focus on well-defined areas of interest. They are: product and concept development, promotion and marketing, and optimization of raw material quality/ healthiness and eating quality.

For more information please contact: Senior scientist Hanne Lindhard Pedersen, Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Aarhus, telephone: +45 8999 3271, e-mail: Hanne.Lindhard@agrsci.dk

Text: Janne Hansen

Photo: Hanne Lindhard Pedersen