About the Aronia Berries antioxidant foods

About the Aronia Berries Aronia berries (also called black chokeberries) are native to North America. Grape and bilberry extracts were also investigated for their potential chemopreventive (preventing disease progression) activity against colon cancer, and aronia had the highest cancer -inhibitive properties. A 2004 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry discovered that aronia was able to slow the growth of colon cancer cells.

Polyphenol-rich aronia has been found to provide a variety of health benefits when consumed, including in the prevention of the spread of cancer and the amelioration of cardiovascular problems. In addition, chemical analysis of black chokeberries has revealed that they are an excellent source of several antioxidant vitamins, including vitamins A , C and E , folate , beta carotene as well as some minerals, such as iron, potassium and manganese It has also been found that 100 grams of freshly obtained black chokeberries supply approximately 35 per cent of our everyday vitamin C requirements. It has been established that the flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants have several health benefits, as they act as scavengers of the harmful free radicals in the body.

When the anthocyanins present in black chokeberries were analyzed in a laboratory, it was found that they enclose a number of chemicals, such as caffeic acid , cyaniding-3-glactoside, peonidin, epicatechin, quercetin , delphinidin, malvidin and pelargonidin. It has been found that the overall anthocyanin content in black chokeberries is around 1480 mg for every 100 gram of freshly obtained berries, while the concentration of proanthocyanidin is around 664 mg for every 100 grams of the berries. In addition, these anthocyanins possess an in vitro anti-mutagenic (capable to lessening the frequency of mutations) activity and show a remarkable immune-modulatory (a chemical substance altering the functioning of the immune system ) actions in the lymphocyte cultures of humans as well as in patients enduring breast cancer The other activities of Aronia melanocarpa anthocyanins include holding back the growth of human HT-29 colon cancer cells , diminish the toxicity as well as cumulation (accumulation) of cadmium (a supple yielding toxic bluish-white metallic component) in the liver and kidneys and slow down the formation of N-nitrosamine in rats.

The black chokeberry juice also has bacteriostatic (preventing further bacterial growth) actions against Syaphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli as well as an anti-viral action against type A i nfluenza virus in vitro. In effect, anthocyanins are pigments that are soluble in water and are responsible for the deep blue and also black hue of the fruits. Alternately, the black chokeberry plant may also be propagated by its suckers.

Ideally, black chokeberry plants are propagated by their seeds. This cultivar, called Nero, bears fruits that are twice the size of the fruits borne by other plants of this species and also has a rich content of vitamin C - around 15 mg to 30 mg. The fruits of Nero appear in bunches of 15 and are known to be additionally flavorful as well as the yield is approximately two times more compared to the plants of the species that are found growing naturally.