World of Blue Berry

World of Blue Berry

• India imports most of its Blueberry fruit from Belgium, Peru and Chile and is the 2nd largest importer of Blueberry fruit in the World.The top 3 importers of Blueberry fruit are United States with 3,426 shipments followed by India with 2,263 and Vietnam at the 3rd spot with 1,485 shipments

Global Production

• Global production3 more than doubled between 2010 and 2019, rising from 439,000 metric tons to nearly 1.0 million. During this time, the number of countries with reportable production expanded from 26 to at least 30, with 27 countries showing growth. In 2010, only 4 countries produced more than 10,000 tons: the United States (224,000 tons), Canada (84,000 tons), Chile (76,000 tons), and France (11,000 tons).


• The number of countries producing at least 10,000 tons started increasing by 2012 and has not declined since then. By 2019, at least 11 countries were above the 10,000-ton threshold. Peru had the most dramatic expansion, rising from less than 50 tons to nearly 125,000 to become the fourth-largest producer behind the United States, Canada, and Chile. Peru is now the world’s leading exporter by value.

The Future of Global Production

• Research into varieties no longer relies on public institutions but is now also happening in private industry, resulting in more rapid advances in genetics and varietal development. Research is underway to improve yield, berry quality, disease and pest resistance, and cold and heat resistance. Improvements are also happening in technology to better manage, harvest, and package crops. For example, due to its range of required chill hours (from 400 to 0 hours), Southern highbush cultivars can be grown as an evergreen, a system of managing bushes to produce berries year-round or at specific points in time.


• Depending on the geographic area, “evergreening” can prevent or manage defoliation through timing and severity of pruning. While prevention enables year-round production, managed defoliation allows growers to control or target when berries will be ripe, and therefore when they can be harvested. For managed defoliation, depending on the cultivar, the time period between pruning and harvest ranges from 5 to 8 months. For example, if aiming for a May harvest, bushes would be trimmed in January. While evergreen production is used in some areas of the United States, it has also allowed the spread of blueberry production to areas with warmer climates such as Australia, Mexico, Peru,and Spain.


• 7 Current blueberry varieties are all within genus Vaccinium and section Cyanococcus. However, wild varieties outside Cyanococcus are known to exist around the world, including in more isolated areas such as islands in the South Pacific. With the success of blueberries, some of these countries are starting to cultivate their wild varieties. The current level of science does not yet easily allow the combining of genetics from Cyanococcus and non-Cyanococcus varieties. Expected advances in genetic technology will likely make this possible in the coming decades, leading to the development of new varieties and further spreading blueberry production.

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1. Blueberries are low in calories but high in nutrients

• The blueberry bush (Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus) is a flowering shrub that produces berries with a bluish, purple hue — also known as blueberries (1Trusted Source).
• It is closely related to similar shrubs, such as those that produce cranberries and huckleberries.
• Blueberries are small — around 0.2–0.6 inches (5–16 millimeters) in diameter — and feature a flared crown at the end.
• They are green in color when they first appear, then deepen to purple and blue as they ripen.
• The two most common types are (2Trusted Source):
• Highbush blueberries: The most common cultivated variety in the US.
• Blueberries are among the most nutrient-dense berries. A 1-cup (148-gram) serving of blueberries contains (3Trusted Source):
• Fiber: 3.6 grams
• Vitamin C: 16% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Vitamin K: 24% of the DV
• Manganese: 22% of the DV
• Small amounts of various other nutrients
• They are also about 85% water, and an entire cup contains only 84 calories, with 21.5 grams of carbohydrates.
• Calorie for calorie, this makes them an excellent source of several important nutrients.Few more words

2. Blueberries are one of the top antioxidant foods

• Antioxidants protect your body from free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can damage your cells and contribute to aging and diseases, such as cancer (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).
• Blueberries are believed to have one of the highest antioxidant levels of all common fruits and vegetables (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
• The main antioxidant compounds in blueberries belong to a family of polyphenol antioxidants called flavonoids.
• One group of flavonoids in particular — anthocyanins — is thought to be responsible for much of these berries’ beneficial health effects (9Trusted Source).
• Blueberries have been shown to directly increase antioxidant levels in your body

3. Blueberries reduce DNA damage, which may help protect against aging and cancer

• Oxidative DNA damage is an unavoidable part of everyday life. It is said to occur in every cell in your body, every day (12Trusted Source).
• DNA damage is part of the reason we grow older. It also plays an important role in the development of diseases like cancer (13Trusted Source).
• Because blueberries are high in antioxidants, they can neutralize some of the free radicals that damage your DNA.
• In one study, 168 people drank 34 ounces (1 liter) of a mixed blueberry and apple juice daily. After four weeks, oxidative DNA damage due to free radicals was reduced by 20% (14Trusted Source).
• These findings agree with smaller studies that use either fresh or powdered blueberries

4. Blueberries protect cholesterol in your blood from becoming damaged

• Oxidative damage is not limited to your cells and DNA.
• It is also problematic when your “bad” LDL cholesterol is oxidized.
• In fact, oxidation of “bad” LDL cholesterol is a crucial step in the heart disease process (17Trusted Source).
• The antioxidants in blueberries are strongly linked to reduced levels of oxidized LDL. This makes blueberries very good for your heart (18Trusted Source).
• A daily 2-ounce (50-gram) serving of freeze-dried blueberries lowered LDL oxidation by 28% over 8 weeks in people with obesity (19Trusted Source).
• Another study determined that eating 2.5 ounces (75 grams) of blueberries with a main meal significantly reduced the oxidation of “bad” LDL cholesterol (20Trusted Source).

5. Blueberries may lower blood pressure

• Blueberries appear to have significant benefits for people with high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease.
• In an 8-week study, people with obesity who had had a high risk of heart disease noted a 4%–6% reduction in blood pressure after consuming 2 ounces (50 grams) of freeze-dried blueberries per day (21Trusted Source).
• Other studies have observed similar effects — especially for postmenopausal women

6. Blueberries may help prevent heart disease

• While eating blueberries may lower blood pressure and oxidized LDL cholesterol, it’s important to keep in mind that these are risk factors — not actual diseases.
• It would be much more informative to know whether blueberries help prevent hard endpoints like heart attacks, which are the world’s leading cause of death (24Trusted Source).
• A study in 93,600 nurses found that those with the highest intake of anthocyanins — the main antioxidants in blueberries — were at a 32% lower risk of heart attacks compared to those with the lowest intake (25Trusted Source).
• Because this was an observational study, it cannot prove that the anthocyanins alone caused the reduction in risk.

7. Blueberries can help maintain brain function and improve memory

• Oxidative stress can accelerate your brain’s aging process, negatively affecting brain function.
• According to animal studies, the antioxidants in blueberries may affect areas of your brain that are essential for intelligence (26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source).
• They appear to benefit aging neurons, leading to improvements in cell signaling. Human studies have also yielded promising results.
• In one of these studies, nine older adults with mild cognitive impairment consumed blueberry juice every day. After 12 weeks, they experienced improvements in several markers of brain function (28Trusted Source).
• A 6-year study in over 16,000 older individuals found that blueberries and strawberries were linked to delays in mental aging by up to 2.5 years

8. Anthocyanins in blueberries may have anti-diabetes effects

• Blueberries provide moderate amounts of sugar compared to other fruits.
• One cup (148 grams) holds 15 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to a small apple or medium- sized orange (3Trusted Source, 30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source).
• However, the bioactive compounds in blueberries appear to outweigh any negative impact of the sugar when it comes to managing blood sugar.
• Research suggests that anthocyanins in blueberries have beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. These anti-diabetes effects have been observed with both fresh and freeze-dried berries (32Trusted Source, 33Trusted Source, 34Trusted Source).
• In a study in 32 obese people with insulin resistance, two blueberry smoothies daily caused major improvements in insulin sensitivity (35Trusted Source).
• Improved insulin sensitivity may lower the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, which are associated with a range of negative health outcomes

9. May help fight urinary tract infections

• Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common problem for people assigned female at birth.
• It is widely believed that cranberry juice can help prevent these types of infections (37Trusted Source).
• Because blueberries are closely related to cranberries, they boast many of the same active substances as cranberry juice (38Trusted Source).
• These substances are called anti-adhesives and help prevent bacteria like E. coli from binding to the wall of your bladder (39Trusted Source).

10. Blueberries may reduce muscle damage after strenuous exercise

• Strenuous exercise can lead to muscle soreness and fatigue.
• This is driven partly by local inflammation and oxidative stress in your muscle tissue (40Trusted Source).
• Blueberry supplements may lessen the damage that occurs at a molecular level, minimizing soreness and reduced muscle performance.
• In a small study in 10 female athletes, blueberries accelerated muscle recovery after strenuous leg exercises