Blueberry Fruit

Description

The blueberry, one of several North American shrubs in the genus Vaccinium (Ericaceous), is prized for its sweet edible fruit. Recognized as a superfood, blueberries are an excellent source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, iron and several antioxidants. Blueberries are usually eaten fresh as a dessert and can be used to make a variety of pastries.  Blueberries are usually low shrubs that can range from 10 centimeters (4 inches) to 4 meters (13 feet) in height. In the commercial production of blueberries, lowbushspecies with small pea-sized Blueberries are known as "lowbush blueberries" and quote; (synonymous with "wild"), while the larger berry-bearing species growing on taller cultivated bushes are called "bush blueberries." Canada is the leading producer of lowbush blueberries, while the United States produces approximately 40% of the world's lowbush blueberries.

Nutrients

Blueberry fruit.

Blueberries contain 14% carbohydrates, 0.7% protein, 0.3% fat and 84% water. They contain only small amounts of micronutrients and are moderate (relative to the respective Daily Values) (DV) of the essential minerals manganese, vitamin C, vitamin K and fiber (table). In general, the nutritional value of blueberries is a small percentage of the DV (table). A portion of 100 grams provides relatively little energy - 240 kilojoules (57 kcal) - and a glycemic load of 6.

 Identification

identification of Blueberry fruit.

Commercially available blueberries are usually of a type found naturally only in eastern and northern North America. Other parts of the family are distributed in other parts of the world, including the Pacific Northwest and South America, South America, Europe and Asia. Other wild shrubs in many of these regions produce similar-looking edible berries, such as pearlberries and gooseberries (North America) and blueberries (Europe). These species are occasionally named "blueberries"; and sold as blueberry jam or other products.

The names of blueberries in languages other than English frequently translate as "blueberry", e.g. Scots blueberry and Norwegian blåbær. Blueberry, blåbær and French myrtles usually refer to the European native bilberry (V. myrtles), while bluest refers to the North American blueberry. Russian голубика ("blueberry") does not refer to blueberries, which are non-native and almost unknown in Russia, but rather to their close relatives, bog bilberries (V. Uliginosum). Cyan coccus blueberries can be distinguished from the near identical-looking bilberries by their flesh color before cut in half. Ripe blueberries have light green flesh, while bilberries, whortleberries and huckleberries are red or purple all over.

Blueberry types

types of Blueberry.

Blueberry names in languages ​​other than English are often translated as "blueberry", e.g. the Scottish blueberry and the Norwegian blåbær. Blueberry, blåbær, and French myrtle usually refer to native European bilberries (V. myrtles), while the bluest ones refer to North American blueberries. The Russian word голубика (antique; blue bearandquot;) does not refer to indigenous and almost unknown blueberries in Russia, but to their close relatives, the blueberry (V. uliginosum). Cyan coccus blueberries can be distinguished from the nearly identical-looking blueberries by the color of their flesh when cut in half. Ripe blueberries have pale green flesh, while blueberries, elderberries and pearls are red or purple.

• Vaccinium formosum (southern blueberry)
• Vaccinium myrtilloides (Canadian Blueberry)
• Vaccinium elliottii (Elliott Blueberry)
• Vaccinium pallidum (Dryland Blueberry)
• Vaccinium myrsinites (shiny blueberry)
• Vaccinium caesariense (New Jersey blueberry)
• Vaccinium hirsutum (hairy-fruited blueberry)
• Vaccinium angustifolium (Lowbush Blueberry)
• Vaccinium corymbosum (Northern Highbush Blueberry)

 

Crop growing of Blueberry

crop growing of Blueberry.

Blueberries can be cultivated or picked from semi-wild or wild bushes. In North America, the best variety to grow in public is V. corymbosum, the northern highbush blueberry. Its hybrids with other Vaccinium species adapted to southern American climates are collectively called southern highbushblueberry.

Growing areas

Growing areas.

United States

In 2018, Oregon produced the most blueberries grown, a record 59 million kilograms (131 million pounds), slightly more than Washington. In descending order of 2017 creations, the other top producers were Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, California and North Carolina. Hammonton, New Jersey claims to be the blueberry capital of the world and over 80% of the blueberries grown in New Jersey come from this city. Every year, the city hosts a major festival that attracts thousands of people to celebrate the fruit. Maine is known for its wild blueberries, but the state's lowbush (wild) and highbush blueberries together make up 10% of all blueberries in North America. About 44,000 hectares (110,000 acres) are cultivated, but only half of that area is harvested each year due to differences in crops. The wild blueberry is the certified fruit of Maine.

Southern Hemisphere

In the southern hemisphere, blueberries are developed commercially in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. In Brazil, blueberries are produced in the states of Rio Grande do Saul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo and Minas Gera. Blueberries were first introduced to Australia in the 1950s, but the experiment failed. In the early 1970s, the Victorian Department of Agriculture imported seeds from the United States and a selection experiment was started. That work was continued in the mid-1970s when the Australian Blueberry Growers and#039; The association was founded. In the 21st century, the industry in Argentina produced: andquot; Argentina's blueberry production has increased in the last three years and the area planted is up to 400 percent, andquot; According to a 2005 report by the US Department of Agriculture. andquot; According to the report, the production of blueberries in Argentina flourished in four different regions: the province of Entre Rios in northeastern Argentina, the province of Tucuman, the province of Buenos Aires and the valleys of southern Patagonia. A 2014 International Labor Relations Office report on child labor and forced labor listed blueberries among the goods created under such labor conditions in Argentina.

Canada

Atlantic Canada produces almost half of North America's annual wild production, with New Brunswick accounting for the largest share in 2015 and increasing in 2016. Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec are also main manufacturers. Nova Scotia recognizes the wild blueberry as its official provincial berry, and the Nova Scotia city of Oxford is known as the wild blueberry capital of Canada. Quebec is an important producer of wild blueberries, especially in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (popularly known as the bluest or "blueberry") and Cote-Nord regions, which together account for 40 percent of all production in the province of Quebec. This wild blueberry business benefits from the vertical integration of cultivation, processing, frozen storage, distribution and transportation in relatively small areas of the province. On average, 80% of Quebec's wild blueberries are harvested on farms (21 million kilograms (23,000 short tons)), with the remaining 20% from public forests (5 million kilograms (5,500 short tons)). About 95% of Quebec's wild blueberry harvest is frozen for shipment outside the province.

Europe

Highbush blueberries first became popular in Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands in the 1930s and later spread to several other European countries. V. corymbosum only started to be cultivated in Romania a few years before 2018, and its production and sales increased rapidly during that time (as with berries in general). As of 2018, it has remained relatively undisturbed by pests and diseases (see Diseases below).

 

Growing season

Growing season of Blueberry.

Blueberry production in North America typically begins in mid-May (in Florida) and ends in September, when some fruit is stored in a controlled atmosphere in Oregon, Washington, and Canada (Gaskell 2006). The sources give different growing seasons in the southern hemisphere. According to the University of California Extension Service, harvest in Chile, New Zealand and Argentina begins in the Northern Hemisphere winter and continues until mid-March, when Chilean blueberries are stored in a controlled atmosphere for about six weeks. andquot; This results in peak blueberry prices of the year in mid-Aprilquot;(Gaskell 2006). In Argentina, blueberry marketing starts in September and finishes in February (Gain 2005).

Use of Blueberry

use of Blueberry.

Blueberries are sold fresh or processed as individual frozen fruit (IQF), puree, juice or dried or stewed berries. Berries, on the other hand, can be used in a variety of consumer products such as jellies, jams, pastries, muffins, snacks and cereals.  Blueberry jam is prepared from blueberries, sugar, water and fruit pectin. Top blueberry jam, usually made from wild blueberries, is common in Maine, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.  Since 2003, pure or blended blueberry juice has become a mainstream product in Canada and the United States.