The majority of the world’s cranberries are grown in five US states, two Canadian provinces, and a small area of Chile.
On the basis of volume, the proportions of the total cranberry crop grown in each of these locations are Wisconsin, 43%;
Massachusetts, 20%; New Jersey, 6%; Oregon, 5%; Wash- ington, 2%; and Quebec and British Columbia, 21%; and Chile, 3%.
The total US commercial crop in 2009 was 690 million pounds (6.9 million barrels—1 barrel is equal to 100 pounds).
The total global commercial crop for cranberries in 2009 was 920 million pounds or 9.2 million barrels. The aver- age yield per acre in 2009 was 182 barrels/acre or 182,000 pounds. Industry-wide, the estimated area of cranberry pro- duction is approximately 50,000 acres. On average, every acre of cranberry bog is supported by about 4–10 acres of wetlands, uplands, and woodlands. This not only cre- ates open space for those who live around these areas but also provides natural habitat for rare and endangered species of plants and animals as well as protected areas for deer, wild turkey, sandhill cranes, eagles, etc. Cranberry growers build birdhouses and eagle stands and encourage wildlife to remain around the bogs. As with any good balanced eco- logical system, the beneficial insects and birds take care of those less desirable as the food chain dictates. Growers take pride in their environmental stewardship, heritage, and traditions.
Cranberries are handled and processed for use as (1) fresh cranberries, 10%; (2) cranberry sauce products, 15%; (3) shelf-stable SDCs, 20%; and (4) cranberry juice/juice drink products, 50%. The overall retail value of these consumer products in 2009 was approximately 2.0 billion dollars.
Americans consume over 500 million pounds of cranberries a year, 20% of this during Thanksgiving week alone.
PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND NUTRITIONAL QUALITY
Determination of Quality
Cranberries bounce! This is one way the quality of cranberries is judged. As mentioned earlier, cranberries have pockets of air inside which enable them to bounce.
A damaged or spoiled cranberry does not bounce, an ob- servation that led to the development of the first cranberry bounce board separator in the late 1800s. This method is still used in some locations to select quality fruit. More advanced technologies used today include electronic sorting which can remove fruit that is either too light or too dark and ultraviolet
sorting which is useful in removing berries that have a degree of rot present.
Chemical Composition
Proximate composition of raw cranberries is listed in Ta- ble 24.1. These numbers may vary slightly from one crop year to another but are generally representative of average values.
The cranberry has a unique chemical composition that sets it apart from other North American fruits. The combination of high-acid content (∼2.0%) and low Brix level (∼7.5◦Brix) gives pure cranberry juice a Brix/acid ratio of about 3.75, which makes it extremely tart and unpalatable in a single- strength form. In contrast, apple juice and orange juice have Brix/acid ratios of above 10.
Another unique characteristic of the cranberry is astrin- gency created by significant quantities of tannins. The cran- berry also contains an unusual mixture of organic acids. Cit- ric and malic are the predominant acids followed by quinic (∼1.0%) and benzoic (∼0.01%), which is uncommon in most popular fruits. The chemical composition of cranberry juice is shown in Table 24.2.
Table 24.1. Composition of Raw Cranberries
Component Percent
Water 86.5
Protein 0.4
Ash 0.2
Fat (lipids) 0.2
Dietary fiber 4.2
Available carbohydrates 8.5
Source:USDA (1999).
Table 24.2. Chemical Composition of Cranberry Juice
Component Percent
Acids
Citric 1.0
Quinic 1.0
Malic 0.7
Benzoic 0.01
Sugars
Glucose 2.9
Fructose 1.0
Tannins 0.3
Pectin 0.1
Anthocyanins (mg/100 mL) 40.0
Flavonols (mg/100 mL) 17.75
Source:Courtesy Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.
Anthocyanins, Total Phenolics, and Antioxidant Capacity
The characteristic red color of cranberries, juice and bever- age, and products is due to anthocyanin pigments. Zheng and Wang (2003) reported concentration of major anthocyanins in cranberry (cv. Ben Lear) as peonidin 3-galactoside (213.6 μg/g fresh weight), peonidin 3-arabinoside (99.7 μg/g), cyanidin 3-galactoside (88.9μg/g), cyanidin 3-arabinoside (48.0 μg/g), and peonidin 3-glucoside (40.4 μg/g). Other phenolic compounds analyzed were vanillic acid (49.3μg/g), caffeic acid (42.5μg/g), quercetin 3-galactoside (70.4μg/g), and quercetin 3-arabinoside (34.4μg/g). Wang and Stretch (2001) reported average anthocyanin and total phenolic con- centrations in ten cranberry cultivars as 34.8 mg of cyani- din 3-galactoside per 100 g and 141.2 mg of gallic acid equivalent per 100 g of fresh weight, respectively. The av- erage antioxidant capacity of these cranberry cultivars ex- pressed as micromole of Trolox equivalents (TEs) per gram of fresh weight was 10.4. Wu et al. (2004) reported total (sum of lipophilic and hydrophilic) antioxidant capacity (mi- cromole TE) of 8983 in one whole cup (95 g) serving of cranberry. Among the fruits analyzed by these researchers, cranberries showed high (2.00 μmol TE/g) lipophilic an- tioxidant capacity (L-ORACFL), second only to avocado (5.52μmol TE/g).
Nutritional Quality and Health Considerations
Nutritional Quality
Besides phytochemicals, cranberry products contain dietary fiber and certain vitamins and minerals. Cranberry concen- trate contains nutritionally significant quantities of vitamin C and potassium (Table 24.3). In an unsweetened form, cran- berries are low in calories, sodium, and free from cholesterol and saturated fats.
Health Considerations
Historically, the health-promoting properties of cranberries have been based on folklore remedies, which have existed for centuries. Native American Indians and early settlers recog- nized the health-giving properties of this fruit.
Cranberries have been used in many different forms as a folk remedy for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs). These infections cause frequent and painful urina- tion. The first reported use of cranberries by conventional medical practitioners was in 1923 (Blatherwick and Long 1923). It was suggested that cranberries acidify urine, killing the bacteria causing UTIs. A study conducted at the Harvard Medical School (Avorn et al. 1994) determined that regular consumption of cranberry juice reduced the amount of bac- teria in the urinary tracts of elderly women. Rather than acid- ification of the urine, however, these researchers concluded
Table 24.3. Nutritional Values of Cranberries (Per 100 g Product) Cranberry Product
Nutrient Frozena Concentrate Sweetened/Driedb Flavored SDCc Powder
Calories (kcal) 48 198 298–367 337–342 360
Calories from fat (%) 0 0 11–12 5 2
Total fat (g) 0.5 0 1.2–1.4 0.5 0.2
Saturated fat (g) 0 0 0 0 0
Cholesterol (mg) 0 0 0 0 0
Sodium (mg) 3 14 3–4 2–3 29
Potassium (mg) 73 500 40–90 11 734
Total carbohydrate (g) 10 49 82–88 83–84 89
Dietary fiber (g) 4 ⬍0.5 6–9 5–6 6
Sugars (g) 4 22 64–69 67–68 37
Protein (g) 0.6 ⬍0.5 ⬍0.5 ⬍0.5 ⬍0.5
Vitamin A (IUd) 0 0 70e 16,200f 0
Vitamin C (mg) 18 58 0 1 5
Calcium (mg) 10 39 10–18 4 184
Iron (mg) 0.6 1.7 0.5 0 4
Source: Courtesy Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.
aWhole or sliced.
bRegular, soft and moist, and glycerated forms.
cOrange, blueberry, cherry, strawberry, or raspberry flavored sweetened dried cranberries (SDCs).
dAs provitamin A.
eValue for glycerated forms of sweetened dried cranberries. Regular and soft and moist forms contain 0 IU.
fValue for orange flavored sweetened dried cranberries. Other flavors contain 0 IU.
that something specific to the cranberry actually prevented bacteria from adhering to the lining of the bladder. Howell et al. (1998) identified condensed tannins or proanthocyani- dins (PACs) from the cranberry fruit as the component that preventedEscherichia coli, the primary bacteria responsible for UTIs, from attaching to cells in the urinary tract. These organisms are flushed out from the urinary tract rather than being allowed to adhere, grow, and lead to infection. Based on a randomized double blind study, Howell et al. (2010) showed that administration of PACs standardized cranberry powder at dosages containing 72 mg of PAC per day may of- fer some protection against bacterial adhesion and virulence in the urinary tract.
The antiadhesion mechanism may work beyond the blad- der in fighting certain bacteria in other parts of the body including the oral cavity (periodontal gum disease) and stom- ach (ulcers). For example, Weiss et al. (2002) suggested that compounds in the cranberry prevent certain bacteria found in the mouth from adhering to teeth and gums. Burger et al. (2000) suggested that the same antiadhesion mechanism fightsHeliocobacter pylori, the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers. This study suggests that the cranberry’s antiadhesion effect prevents the bacteria from attaching to the stomach lining and causing an ulcer.
Howell and Foxman (2002) suggested that regular con- sumption of cranberry juice cocktail may decrease the need for certain antibiotics.
Maher et al. (2000) reported potential benefits of cran- berry juice in protecting against cholesterol oxidation. In their study, cranberry juice was tested for its ability to inhibit oxidation of LDL cholesterol and proved to be an effective an- tioxidant. A pilot, double-blind placebo-controlled trial (Va- lentova et al. 2007) assessed the effect of consumption of dried cranberry juice (DCJ) for 8 weeks on 65 healthy young women. While consumption of 400 mg DCJ/day had little ef- fect on the parameters tested, a 1200 mg amount of DCJ/day resulted in statistically significant decrease in serum levels of advanced oxidation protein products. This study showed that cranberry fruits have effects not only on prevention of UTI but also on the prevention of oxidative stress.
There is strong epidemiological evidence that diets high in vegetables and fruits contribute to an overall anticancer effect. Preliminary evidence suggests that powerful cancer- fighting antioxidants are found in the cranberry seeds. The cranberry seeds have been found to contain a high level of tocotrienols. Cranberry seed oil contains significant amounts of these potent forms of Vitamin E. The unique combina- tion of phytochemicals found in cranberry fruit may produce synergistic health benefits. Possible chemopreventive mech- anisms of action by the cranberry phytochemicals include induction of apoptosis in tumor cells, reduced omithine de- carboxylase activities, decreased expression of matrix metal- loproteinases associated with prostrate tumor metastasis, and anti-inflammatory activities (Neto 2007).