Could honeyberry be next superfood?
IT IS virtually unheard of here but a Japanese superfruit is set to ruffle the raspberry and trample the bramble in Scots’ affections.
Scientists have found it to be bursting with more goodness than any of its rivals and it can be harvested mechanically. And the fruit of the honeysuckle is now being cultivated on nine farms on the East Coast, from Berwickshire to Kincardineshire, in a Scottish Government-funded experiment.
Crop scientist Dr Louise Gamble, of the James Hutton Institute in Invergowrie, Perthshire, said: ‘The honeyberry seems very adaptable.
‘Our research shows the juice can contain up to ten times as many antioxidants [which may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers] as raspberries, strawberries, blackberries or blueberries.’
Its taste has been described as being somewhere between a blueberry and grape, with a raspberrystyle tartness.
Aberdeen University’s Rowett Institute is appealing for volunteers for the study, in which scientists will monitor the effect of the fruits on blood-sugar levels and memory over four weeks.