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07.03.2025

Frozen blueberries are just as healthy as fresh ones

Blueberries are healthy but usually hard to afford in the supermarket. At least this applies to the berries in the fresh produce section. Frozen berries are sometimes cheaper. According to a somewhat older Australian study, frozen blueberries are a full-fledged alternative to fresh ones.

Study
In 2004, chemists from the University of New South Wales published a study in the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology in which they determined the amount of anthocyanins present in fresh, frozen, and dried blueberries.

Thanks in part to these anthocyanins, berries are healthy. The researchers wondered how the food industry could best preserve the nutritional value of blueberries.

Results
The researchers found just as many anthocyanins in frozen berries as in fresh berries. Freezing is therefore an excellent way to keep berries fresh for longer.

Because the researchers wanted to determine the antioxidant activity of their berries, they put them in test tubes with 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH]. Antioxidants are expected to neutralize this compound.

The amount of DPPH decreased most in the test tubes with blueberries that had been frozen for three months, the figure above shows.

This may be because the freezing process increases the bioavailability of anthocyanins after three months. But it certainly means that the nutritional value of blueberries is still intact after three months in the freezer.

More tomorrow.

Source:
J Biomed Biotechnol. 2004;2004(5):248-52.

More:
Leafy vegetables, broccoli and blueberries, no juices | 4 nutrition tips to survive breast cancer 30.03.2021
An unsuspected muscle food: blueberries 14.10.2020
Daily cup of blueberries protects against heart attack 29.06.2019
Cyanidin, the life-extender in blueberries 12.04.2018
Anthocyanins in blueberries: more muscle and less fat 26.11.2011
Blueberry juice improves memory 20.11.2011

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