According to Ingredientscape AI, aronia has shown strong growth this year. Due to its strong antioxidant and immune benefits, it is likely to become a popular functional food ingredient like elderberry.
1. What is aronia?
Aronia, also known as black fruit glandular rib aronia, is a deciduous shrub, Rosaceae, and native to wet woods and swamps in eastern North America. Aronia berries are slightly sweet, slightly sour, and dark purple. They are rich in flavonoids, anthocyanins, and polyphenols. Its fruits have a long history of consumption in countries such as Europe, Asia, and North America. They are mainly used to produce colorants, syrups, juices, jams, and fruit wines. Its extracts are beneficial for improving diabetes and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and are widely used in the pharmaceutical and food industries in Europe and the United States.
Aronia has been introduced in some parts of China since 2005, and is currently planted in Liaoning, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jilin and other provinces and regions. In 2018, black fruit glandular rib aronia fruit was approved as a new food ingredient.
2. Multiple effects of aronia
The main active ingredients found in aronia are anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, phenolic acids, triterpenoids, cyanidin-3- O-galactoside, chlorogenic acid, quercetin, etc. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic and multiple antibacterial activities.
Antioxidant:
The aronia peel is purple-black and the flesh is dark red. This natural pigmentation is due to the high concentration of polyphenols in aronia, which gives it a strong antioxidant property. The U.S. Department of Agriculture found in public tests that every 100 grams of aronia contains 1480 mg of proanthocyanidins and 1752 mg of polyphenols, which gives it an antioxidant capacity superior to other berries such as black currants, blackberries, and cranberries.
Studies have shown that aronia polyphenols have the ability to scavenge DPPH free radicals, diazine free radicals and superoxide anion free radicals, and can also inhibit the activity of 15-lipoxygenase and xanthine oxidase. The antioxidant activity of chokeberry polyphenols increased with increasing concentration, and its antioxidant capacity was even better than that of vitamin C. In addition, cyanidin-3-galactoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-arabinoside extracted from chokeberry had a strong scavenging ability against DPPH free radicals.
Anti-inflammatory:
Studies have shown that oxidative stress is associated with the pathogenesis and progression of inflammatory bowel disease. Consumption of chokeberry inhibits T-cell transfer colitis. Intestinal inflammation was suppressed in colitis mice after consuming 4.5% w/w chokeberry supplementation for five weeks. Other studies have shown that chokeberry can inhibit colonic oxidative stress during T-cell transfer colitis because it has multifaceted antioxidant functions in both the cytosol and mitochondria of immune cells.
Prevention of cardiovascular disease:
Studies have shown that chokeberry can reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory gene expression, thereby reducing blood triglyceride, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels. Consumption of chokeberry berries can improve lipid balance in patients with metabolic syndrome, thereby preventing cardiovascular disease. Clinical trials have shown that consumption of aronia berries can reduce LINE-1 methylation levels and the arachidonic acid/eicosapentaenoic acid ratio. Cardiovascular disease is associated with changes in DNA methylation, and regular consumption of aronia juice has some potential cardioprotective effects.
Lowers blood sugar:
Aronia berries are rich in antioxidants and have strong antioxidant capacity. Studies have shown that antioxidants may reduce hyperglycemia. An acute study on healthy subjects found that drinking 100 ml of aronia juice before meals significantly reduced postprandial blood sugar. Drinking 200 ml of aronia juice twice a day for three months significantly reduced fasting blood sugar, glycated hemoglobin and cholesterol, while blood pressure also improved. Aronia berries show strong potential in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Protect the intestine:
Studies have shown that aronia berries improve the mRNA and protein expression of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress factors, as well as transcription factors involved in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal barrier. In addition, aronia also reversed the effects of DSS-induced intestinal flora imbalance and promoted the production of cecal short-chain fatty acids associated with the signaling pathway that inhibits IBD.
3. Market situation of aronia
BR data predicts that by 2028, the global aronia berry market will reach US$2,086.9 million. The improvement of health and wellness awareness and the prevalence of natural and clean labels will bring sufficient impetus to the aronia berry market.
Although aronia has unique advantages in terms of functional ingredients and uses, its sour taste limits consumer acceptance, coupled with its low popularity in some regions, the superposition of various factors limits the market penetration of aronia. Mattucci, director of food and beverage in North America at Mintel, said that unlike elderberry, a star ingredient in North America, aronia is not promoted for its immune health benefits or antioxidant properties. It will take more time for consumers to understand aronia berries and their various effects.
At present, aronia products are mostly presented in the form of juice, fruit wine, fruit powder, etc., and the preparation process is relatively simple. In North America, aronia products are also made into various dietary supplements. Overall, the related industry is still in its early stages and the market prospects are very broad.
Aronia product case:
- Eclectic Institute has launched an aronia capsule that is freeze-dried in small batches to retain all phytochemical nutrients. The product is mainly used to support heart, immune system, digestive system and urinary tract health.
- Terrasoul Superfoods has launched an organic aronia powder, which is rich in antioxidant beta-carotene, as well as high levels of anthocyanins, resveratrol and proanthocyanidins, which helps improve the function of the circulatory system, respiratory system and digestive system.
- Superberries has launched an organic aronia juice concentrate, which is a highly concentrated aronia berry that can maximize the antioxidant effect of Aronia juice concentrate.
Further reading:
Ingredientscape AI is an AI-based food ingredient analysis platform. It can help food companies develop healthier, more nutritious and creative products by analyzing large amounts of food ingredient data, identifying emerging trends and innovative ingredients.
Ingredientscape AI uses advanced machine learning algorithms combined with big data from various sources, including scientific literature, professional journals, regulatory information and consumer insights. It can identify emerging ingredients with potential and provide detailed analysis reports, including the nutritional value, functional properties, market trends, etc. of the ingredients.
This AI-based ingredient analysis platform can help food companies better grasp market demand and develop products that are more in line with consumer preferences. It provides powerful data support and intelligent analysis tools for innovation in the food industry.
This article was independently created and published by Herbfields.net.