All eyes on aronia

In the five years leading up to 2013, more than 440 new products (and nearly three times as many SKUs) featuring aronia berries or their juice hit the worldwide market. According to the USDA-allied University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, aronia products increased at rates of more than 100 percent annually through those years.

Though the blueberry-size, blue-black fruit comes from Aronia melancocarpa, a native U.S. shrub, the vast majority of production originates in Eastern Europe. While European growers have capitalized on aronia’s outstanding nutritional value, the shrub stayed relegated to ornamental landscapes in its native land. As U.S. consumers pick up on European trends, a number of U.S. small-fruit growers hope to change that.

Aronia berry’s background

Known in some circles as Siberian blueberry or black appleberry, Aronia melanocarpa goes by the unfortunate common name of black chokeberry in most U.S. garden centers — not to be confused with chokecherries. A popular ornamental here, the plant’s fruits have been the focus of extensive medical research in Eastern Europe and are fueling excitement in the health and supplement industries.

Fresh from the plant, aronia berries likely won’t be consumed by the handful. The strong, drying taste of the berrylike pomes is reminiscent of a wine grape with heavy tannins that bring astringency and complexity to final products. However, the flavor sweetens considerably when processed. The most frequent aronia use involves juice or concentrate, but aronia berries can be found fresh, dried, frozen or pureed and in products from health supplements and blended drinks to baked goods and jams.

Nutritional stats

University of Connecticut researcher and aronia breeder Dr. Mark Brand reports that antioxidant levels in Aronia melanocarpa fruit outrank all temperate fruits commonly grown in the U.S., with anthocyanins and other flavonoids measuring more than five times higher than cranberries. Growers will appreciate the berries’ relatively high sugars, at 12 to 20 percent soluble solids with even higher levels reported in mature European production, paired with pH of 3.3 to 3.7 and titratable acidity of 0.7 to 1.2 percent.

Though the jury’s still out on how nutraceutical components synergize to affect human health, USDA databases on flavonoid content, Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC), and proanthocyanidin content of selected foods show aronia berries outshine other common fruits. As an example, aronia’s total antioxidants measure more than three times those in blueberries, and the fruit outscores blueberries more than four times in anthocyanins, which are the important plant pigments behind red, blue and purple fruit color as well as many health benefits.

Nutraceutical claims

Extensive, ongoing medical research in Eastern Europe, particularly at the Medical University of Varna, and at a growing number of U.S. institutions is yielding remarkable results. To date, aronia fruit and its anthocyanin-rich extract have been shown to have numerous nutraceutical benefits, including protective liver, kidney and gastric properties; anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral functions; metabolic normalization; and suppression of breast and colon cancer cells. Aronia has also shown promise in improving age-related memory and cognition issues.

On the production front, aronia also stands out. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems awarded Aronia melanocarpa top spot over 41 other unusual fruits, including elderberries and red and black currants, for the greatest commercial potential. UW research cited high adaptability and pest resistance, low input requirements, ease of culture and machine harvesting and high nutraceutical and vitamin content. With a growing number of small-fruit growers ready to spread the news, this superfruit’s time may finally be here.

Jolene is a freelance writer and former hort professional quietly reshaping the way people experience gardens and gardening.