Investigating the benefits of the haskap berry

Could a little-known Japanese fruit be the next big thing in nutraceuticals? Eighteen-year-old Kirsten Larson has thought so ever since her family planted an acre of haskap berry bushes on their llama farm new Swan River, Manitoba, four years ago.

Now, thanks to her research project for this year’s Sanofi-Aventis Biotalent Challenge, she has evidence to back up her belief in the health benefits of the haskap berry.

Among prairie farmers, there is growing interest in the commercial potential of the new fruit. It ripens in mid- June, weeks before strawberries, and has few insect pests and diseases. The plants begin to bear fruit after only three years and the crop can be harvested mechanically. Haskap berries can be eaten fresh or used in a wide range of products including juice, wine, candy, pastries, jams and dairy products.

“But there was no research into their nutritional and medicinal properties,”� said Kirsten. With the help of her mentor, Dr. Curtis Rempel of the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals at the University of Manitoba, Kirsten sampled the berries for three components’ minerals, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and anti-oxidants.

The results showed that although haskap berries were low in total minerals and vitamin C, they had exceptional levels of cancer-preventing anti-oxidants, particularly phenols. These so-called “next generation anti-oxidants” are the key ingredient in red wine, green tea, dark chocolate and blueberries.

“Haskap berries have five times the phenols content of blueberries,” said Kirsten, a Grade 12 student at Swan Valley Regional Secondary School. “I hope that these results will encourage more research and raise awareness about the health benefits of haskap berries.”