Colorful Cranberries

December 2001

Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners just wouldn’t be complete without their annual accompaniment: cranberries. The traditional cranberry sauce rings in the season and adds a delicious, festive touch to any table.

Cranberries, the fruit of a native North American plant grown in cool areas with dry, acidic soil — mainly Massachusetts and Wisconsin, along with New Jersey, Oregon and Washington — are harvested in two ways. First, the cranberry bog can undergo the wet harvesting method in which the fields must be flooded with water; machines agitate the water to loosen the berries, which float to the surface to be harvested. This method is used for fruit that will be used in sauces and juices. The other method, dry harvesting, is used for cranberries that will be sold as fresh, whole berries. This method utilizes machines that harvest the berries by gently combing the vines.

Luckily, cranberry fans no longer need to wait until the weather turns cold to enjoy this scarlet berry. The availability of product has made it easier for food professionals to offer cranberry items in various applications throughout the year. Cranberries can be found fresh, frozen and dried in various sizes — whole, chopped, or diced berries, sweetened or infused; or otherwise processed into the form of a sauce, juice, powder or concentrate.

The food industry has created various packaged products, including hot sauces infused with cranberries; salsas; condiments; beverages (sodas and juice cocktails); snacks; and cranberry-enhanced, dairy-based products, such as butters, curds and cream cheese. Cranberries are widely used in the baking industry for line extensions and to add a bit of creativity with little effort.

Researchers are looking to the cranberry for potential health benefits. These may include: treating urinary tract infections, stomach ulcers and periodontal disease by reducing bacterial adhesion; and fighting heart disease and cancer, due to their high antioxidant levels, particularly the polyphenol compounds called flavonoids. Cranberries contain very high levels of vitamin C; a single glass of cranberry juice fulfills an entire day’s requirement.

Cranberries are extremely consumer-friendly. Given the ability to tout their health benefits and work with their longer shelf life, food professionals will continue to find new applications for this versatile fruit.

• Photo: Tate Hunt at Stephen Hamilton Photographics

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