Different cultivars of four Vaccinium species [Vaccinium
corymbosum L (Highbush), Vaccinium
ashei Reade (Rabbiteye), Vaccinium angustifolium (Lowbush), and Vaccinium myrtillus L (Bilberry)]
were analyzed for total phenolics, total anthocyanins, and antioxidant capacity (oxygen radical
absorbance capacity, ORAC). The total antioxidant capacity of different berries studied ranged
from a low of 13.9 to 45.9 μmol Trolox equivalents (TE)/g of fresh berry (63.2−282.3 μmol TE/g of
dry matter) in different species and cultivars of Vaccinium. Brightwell and Tifblue cultivars of
rabbiteye blueberries were harvested at 2 times, 49 days apart. Increased maturity at harvest
increased the ORAC, the anthocyanin, and the total phenolic content. The growing location (Oregon
vs Michigan vs New Jersey) did not affect ORAC, anthocyanin or total phenolic content of the cv.
Jersey of highbush blueberries. A linear relationship existed between ORAC and anthocyanin (r
xy
= 0.77) or total phenolic (r
xy
= 0.92) content. In general, blueberries are one of the richest sources
of antioxidant phytonutrients of the fresh fruits and vegetables we have studied.
Keywords: Vitamin C; ascorbate; blueberry; bilberry; highbush; lowbush; rabbiteye; ORAC; HPLC
On 15 occasions, either Wolcott, Jersey, Morrow or Murphy cultivars of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) were harvested by commercial hand-pickers and over-the-row mechanical harvesters in eastern NC during 1970 and 1971. Compared with hand-harvesting, machine-harvesting reduced yield of marketable ripe fruit 19 to 44%. Compared with commercially hand-harvested fruit, machine-harvested fruit was 10 to 30% softer in compression tests; and when held for 7 days at 21°C, the fruit developed 11 to 41% more decay. Machine-harvested fruits sorted on a commercial cleaner were softened still more and developed 5 to 10% more decay than fruit mechanically harvested but not sorted.
Fifty times as many canes were damaged by mechanical harvesting as by hand-harvesting.
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