Boysenberry as a functional food ingredient

Abstract

Considerable evidence now exists that a diet rich in certain fruits and vegetables acts to reduce the effects of age related illness. In particular recent focus has been on darkly pigmented berries high in phytochemicals such as anthocyanins and phenolics.
Boysenberry is one such fruit with the potential to be an innovative functional ingredient. Though not as well known in Japan as blueberry and raspberry it is highly regarded in parts of the US and Europe. Boysenberry (Rubus loganobaccus cv boysenberry) is a trailing craneberry or bramble, a hybrid cross between a loganberry and a blackberry.
One of the chemopreventitive characteristics of boysenberries is by way of its antioxidant effect attributed to the anthocyanins. The main anthocyanins have been determined by HPLC analysis to be three cyanidin-3-0-sophoroside, cyanidin-3-0-glucosylrutinoside, cyanidin-3-0-glucosid. These act to prevent cellular damage by scavenging highly reactive free radicals. Other potential functional uses of boysenberry as both an ingredient and/or extract are because of its ellagic acid and folate content.