Arctic berries – an important source of vitamins, antioxidants, essential fatty acids. Berries contain antioxidants having oxygen radical absorbance capacity – ORAC – that is highest among the fruits. Most representative Artic berries are Blueberry, Cloudberry and Raspberry.
BLUEBERRY
Blueberry (Vaccinium cyanococcus)
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Vaccinium
Species: Cyanococcus
DESCRIPTION
Blueberries are plants of the genus Vaccinium (as cranberries and bilberries) with dark-purple to dark-blue berries. The blueberries and are native to North America while in Europe they can only be found as cultivated.
Blueberries should not be confused with the European bilberries (Vaccinium myrtilis), which are the other species within the same genus. The fruit is a berry, 5–16 millimeters in diameter, with a flared crown at the end. The blueberries are pale greenish at first, then reddish-purple, and finally indigo (dark blue) when ripe.
The blueberries are native in North America but also commercially grown in Australia, New Zealand and South American countries. The highbush blueberry crop season in US begins in early spring on the West coast and in the South and moves north where the last berries are harvested in November.
USES
Blueberry extract is an important source of antioxidants for cosmetic and beauty products. The benefits of antioxidants come from their ability to minimize the oxidative damages caused by free radicals, UV-light and environmental pollutants. Blueberry seeds are rich in unsaturated oils with a potential as cosmetic actives.
ESSENTIQ PRODUCTS CONTAINING ARCTIC BERRIES
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