Freshmax Group, an Australian fresh produce marketing and distribution operator, showcases RICO pears. Slightly irreverent, superior in quality and full of personality, RICO is out to redefine how Australians perceive pears. Read more
Australian fruit grower progresses on new packing factory in Victoria
Geoffrey Thompson Holdings, one of Australia’s largest apple and pear growers, has encountered major progress on the construction of its new export-standard fruit packing factory in Mooroopna, Victoria. Read more
Grants to protect Victorian apples and pears
Victorian apple and pear growers can now apply for grants of up to $150,000 for netting to protect their fruit from hail and sun damage, providing a major boost to crop yield.
Cherry on top: summer fruits are also good for the brain
Summer fruits are back on Australian tables. We’ve long known cherries and other stone fruits provide a range of essential vitamins and minerals. But here’s another reason to make sure they’re on the shopping list: they’re good for the brain.
Flavonoids
Flavonoids are nutrients that contain more than 6,000 unique compounds. They’re widespread in plants, and are grouped into five subclasses: flavonols, flavan-3-ols, flavones, flavonones and anthocyanins.
The major sources of flavonoids in the diets of older Australians are black tea (89%), oranges and orange juice (2.7%), green tea (1.3%) and bananas (0.9%).
Flavonoids protect plants from microbe and insect damage, which may explain some of their observed health benefits in humans. They contribute to the sensory characteristics of foods such as flavour, astringency and colour.
Anthocyanins, for example, provide the red, blue and purple pigments in fruits such as strawberries, cherries, blueberries and plums. They’re also found in red wine, tea, coffee, and some vegetables such as red onion and cabbage.
How do berries improve brain health?
Anthocyanin-rich fruits have been shown to affect the brain in several ways. It is thought that a number of pathways work together to improve cognition and prevent degeneration of the brain.
First, the high antioxidant content of these fruits may scavenge free-radicals and reduce inflammation in the brain.
Additionally, flavonoids in the fruit have the potential to inhibit cell death of nerve cells (neurons), and improve connections between the neurons, especially in the areas of the brain associated with learning and memory (hippocampus).
Flavonoids may also disrupt the aggregation of amyloid beta (Aβ) in the brain and thereby prevent formation of amyloid plaques. Amyloid plaques are sticky buildups of these proteins which accumulate outside neurons, and are implicated in Alzheimer’s disease development.
Consuming a large serve of anthocyanin-rich fruits may boost learning ability, memory and motor skills.
Research suggests that people who regularly consume berries (two to three times per week) have better brain function and are less likely to develop dementia than others their own age.
Diet and dementia
Dementia is the single greatest cause of disability in older adults aged over 65 years and is the second leading cause of death in this age group. Even small delays in the onset of dementia and its subsequent progression will have the potential to significantly alleviate the burden of this disease on society.
Our research team has shown the potential for anthocyanin-rich cherry juice to improve memory in older adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s type dementia. A feasible serving of 200ml a day of juice was provided to participants in order to overcome the issue of seasonality.
After 12 weeks, people who regularly consumed the cherry juice had significantly improved scores of tests related to memory and word-recall compared to those who were provided with an alternative fruit juice that contained minimal anthocyanins.
The purple fruit frontier
As more is discovered about the health effects of anthocyanin-rich fruits, the demand for fruits with superior health benefits is growing. An Australian-bred plum developed by Queensland government scientists, the Queen Garnet, has up to five times the levels of anthocyanins present than in normal plums.
Animal studies show impressive results so far for its potential to improve health. Obese rats fed with the Queen Garnet plum juice showed that their high blood pressure, fatty livers, poor heart function and arthritis returned to normal in just eight weeks.
We are now investigating the role of the Queen Garnet plums on cognitive function in people with early signs of memory loss.
How can you be sure it’s the fruit?
Food-based studies are complex. First, we need to understand how the body metabolises the bioactive compounds.
Anthocyanins are quickly broken down in the digestive tract to a range of different digestive substances (called metabolites), many of which are excreted in the urine within about six hours. It may be the intact anthocyanin compound itself that exerts physiological effects. Or it could be one of its many metabolites.
The “dose” of anthocyanin required for health benefits, and how this can be achieved from foods remains unclear. An acute cross-over study, for instance, found the blood pressure lowering effects of cherry juice over six hours were only seen if 300ml was consumed as a single serving, rather than as three 100ml servings over three hours.
Lastly, it is likely that anthocyanins in food may interact with other nutrients, and combinations of foods may show synergistic effects. In other words, they may have a greater combined effect than if consumed in isolation.
While the role of diet for improving cognitive health looks bright (purple), a bowl of cherries won’t counteract other lifestyle factors implicated in cognitive decline. Quitting smoking, cutting down on saturated fat and being physically active are also crucial for keeping ageing brains healthy.
Karen Charlton, Associate Professor, School of Medicine, University of Wollongong and Katherine Kent, Nutritionist and PhD candidate, University of Wollongong
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Hail hits Goulburn Valley fruit crop again
Damage has been caused to pear orchids as another hail storm hit the Goulburn Valley last week, presenting another blow to Victorian pear growers.
A meeting was held by Fruit Growers Victoria (FGV) following the previous hailstorm in the area, to discuss and share useful information on the best method through which affected orchids can best be managed.
According to FGV’s Tony Filippi, “Help is available to growers, so we would encourage fellow farmers not to hesitate to give someone a call if they would like to chat to someone who can help.”
Hail caused extensive damage to Australia's major pear growing region, in Victoria's north-east in October this year.
The damage was sustained to the orchards at Mooroopna, in the Goulburn Valley, responsible for 90 per cent of the country's pear production.
Filippi said the damage ranged from trees stripped of fruit to superficial markings which affect the fruit’s saleability in fresh fruit markets.
“A co-ordinated, industry response would help growers approach buyers to seek a variation in quality standards .It should benefit everyone if we can get a variation in the standards for what is normally required.’’
“We’re collating information about what has happened and we want to get a better idea of the number of growers affected and the extent of damage to crops.’’
FGV is also preparing a submission to the Victorian Government for hail net subsidies. Data collection on crop loads would also assist in the success of this submission.