Marionberry
- Fresh season typically July 10th through August 10th.
- Medium sized (5.0g) dark red to black colored berry with a medium seed and central receptacle
- Known as the “Cabernet of Blackberries” for its complex, rich earthy flavor.
- Bred at Oregon State University and raised primarily in Oregon. Named after Marion County, Oregon.
- Oregon produces 28-33 million pounds annually.
Evergreen Blackberry
- Fresh season typically August 10th through September 15th.
- Medium-sized (4.0g) deep blue-black colored berry with a small seed.
- Native wild blackberry of England, often considered the traditional blackberry.
- Thornless
Boysenberry
- Fresh season typically July 2nd through July 25th.
- Large-sized (8.0g) reddish-purple berry with a large seed.
- In the late 1920’s George Darrow of the USDA and Walter Knott, a California berry farmer tracked down some plants from the failed farm of Rudolph Boysen. Finding a few frail plants they nursed them back to health. This was the start of the popular Boysenberries that were initially sold at Knott’s Berry Farm in California.
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC), Anthocyanin, and Ellagic Acid Values
The ORAC value of selected U.S. Northwest blackberries is in the range of 24-77 umole/g fruit. Anthocyanin content is in the range of 100-600 mg/100g fruit, and Ellagic Acid in the range of 3.4-6.0 mg/100 g fruit. For more detailed value for specific berries, please view the materials at the Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission website.
- The ORACfl (umoleTE/g) analysis, which utilizes Fluorescein as the fluorescent probe, provides a measure of the scavenging capacity of antioxidants against the peroxyl radical, which is one of the most common reactive oxygen species (ROS) found in the body.
- Trolox, a water-soluable Vitamin E analog, is used as the calibration standard and the ORAC result is expressed as micromole Trolox equivalent (TE) per gram.
Other Nutraceutical Values of Blackberries
| Marionberry | Evergreen blackberry | Boysenberry | |
| Anthocyanins | 109-155 mg/100g | 83-326 mg/100g | 120-160 mg/100g |
| Ellagic Acid | 5.83 mg/g dry wt | 3.69 mg/g dry wt | 5.98 mg/g dry wt |
| ORAC | 28 umole TE/g | 28 umole TE/g | 42 umole TE/g |
| Catechins | 1.4 mg/100g | ||
| Quercetin | 0.5-3.5 mg/100g | ||
| Gallic Acid | 3 mg/100 mg | 2 mg/100 mg | 9 mg/100g |
| Rutin | 11 mg/100 mg | 24 mg/100 mg |
Source: Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission
Health Benefits
Marionberries, Boysenberries, Loganberries and other blackberries are high in gallic acid, rutin and ellagic acid, a known chemopreventative, with anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. With their dark blue color, blackberries have one of the highest antioxidant levels of fruits regularly tested. Blackberries are also rich in Vitamin C and fiber, which have been shown to help reduce the risks of certain cancers. Blackberries are low in calories, carbohydrates and have no fat, which makes them popular in low carb and low calorie diets.
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High in Vitamin C and fiber both of which have been shown to help reduce the risks
of certain cancers. - Contains high levels of anthocyanins (83-326 mg/ 100g) which work as antioxidants to help fight free radical damage in the body and give berries their deep dark color.
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The antioxidant level of foods can be measured as ORAC (Oxygen Radical
Absorption Capacity). The ORAC value of Evergreen blackberries is 28
µmoles/TE/g, slightly higher than blueberries. -
Evergreen blackberries contain ellagic acid, a phenolic compound shown to have
anti-carcinogen, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. The ellagic acid levels of
Evergreen blackberries is 3.69 mg/g of dry weight.
Source: Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission
Nutritional Profile of Blackberries
(Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference)
| Nutrients | 1 cup fresh | 1 cup canned, heavy syrup | 1 cup unthawed, unsweetened frozen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 144 grams | 256 grams | 151 grams |
| Calories | 62 | 236 | 97 |
| Protein | 2.00 grams | 3.35 grams | 1.78 grams |
| Lipid (fat) | 0.71 grams | 0.36 grams | 0.65 grams |
| Carbohydrate, by difference | 13.84 grams | 59.14 grams | 23.66 grams |
| Fiber, total dietary | 7.6 grams | 8.7 grams | 7.5 grams |
| Sugars, total | 7.03 grams | 50.43 grams | 16.11 grams |
| Sucrose | 0.10 grams | ||
| Glucose (dextrose) | 3.33 grams | ||
| Fructose | 3.46 grams | ||
| Maltose | 0.10 grams | ||
| Galactose | 0.04 grams | ||
| Calcium | 42 mg | 54 mg | 44 mg |
| Iron | 0.89 mg | 1.66 mg | 1.21 mg |
| Magnesium | 29 mg | 44 mg | 33 mg |
| Phosphorus | 32 mg | 36 mg | 45 mg |
| Potassium | 233 mg | 253 mg | 211 mg |
| Sodium | 1 mg | 8 mg | 3 mg |
| Zinc | 0.76 mg | 0.46 mg | 0.38 mg |
| Copper | 0.238 mg | 0.340 mg | 0.181 mg |
| Manganese | 0.930 mg | 1.784 mg | 1.847 mg |
| Selenium | 0.6 mcg | 0.8 mcg | 0.6 mcg |
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | 30.2 mg | 7.2 mg | 4.7 mg |
| Thiamin | 0.029 mg | 0.069 mg | 0.044 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.037 mg | 0.100 mg | 0.069 mg |
| Niacin | 0.930 mg | 0.735 mg | 1.823 mg |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.397 mg | 0.387 mg | 0.228 mg |
| Vitamin B-6 | 0.043 mg | 0.092 mg | 0.092 mg |
| Folate, total | 36 mcg | 69 mcg | 51 mcg |
| Folate, food | 36 mcg | 69 mcg | 51 mcg |
| Folate, DFE | 36 mcg_DFE | 69 mcg_DFE | 51 mcg_DFE |
| Vitamin A, IU | 308 IU | 561 IU | 172 IU |
| Vitamin A, RAE | 16 mcg_RAE | 28 mcg_RAE | 9 mcg_RAE |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocophenol) | 1.68 mg | 2.00 mg | 1.77 mg |
| Tocopherol, beta | 0.06 mg | ||
| Tocopherol, gamma | 1.93 mg | ||
| Tocopherol, delta | 1.30 mg | ||
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | 28.5 mcg | 34.0 mcg | 29.9 mcg |