Blue honeysuckle ( Lonicera cearulea L. subs. edulis ) berry; A rich source of some nutrients and their differences among four different cultivars

Health Properties and Composition of Honeysuckle Berry Lonicera caerulea L. An Update on Recent Studies

“…The berries show high content of numerous primary and secondary metabolites [5]. One of them is ascorbic acid, which plays an important role as an antioxidant agent, counteracting harmful processes such as inflammation.…”

“…It was shown that lower temperatures and wet weather have a positive impact on ascorbic acid content [9]. A study conducted by Jurikova et al [13] proved that ascorbic acid values of certain honeysuckle berry cultivars can even exceed other fruit generally considered as rich in vitamin C. Oranges contain 31 mg/100 g of ascorbic acid, red currants from 35 to 90 mg/100 g, black elderberries around 30 mg/100 g and raspberries between 16 to 32 mg/100 g [5], while Lonicera caerulea cultivars show values up to 186 mg/100 g [13]. Another study indicates values ranging from 17 mg/100 g to 25 mg/100 g [3].…”

“…Referring to organic acid composition, it is important to emphasize their importance for sensory quality of the fruit [5]. The amount of organic acids is negatively correlated with light intensity, contrary to the amount of accumulated sugars [16].…”

“…Japanese Ainu aborigines have considered honeysuckle berries as an "elixir of life", and on Hokkaido Island, a juice made out of the fruit is sold as a "gold remedy for eternal youth and longevity" [2,4]. In recent years, it has been widely planted in Europe-mainly in Poland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia [5]-but it is still gaining in popularity. Figure 1 presents a photograph of the plant.…”

“…A great advantage of the fruit is its high resistance to low temperatures. It can survive up to −40 • C and the flowers to −7 • C. Moreover, they are not affected by variations in soil pH, presence of pests or diseases [5]. The berries have an elongated elliptic or cylindrical shape, are dark purple elongated elliptic or cylindrical shape, are dark purple in color and a waxy coating can be observed on their surface.…”