Seeking a Healthy Diet? - Eat Wild Jamaican Berries and Strawberry Guavas

Dietary tastes are notoriously fickle when we’re growing up, given the constant bombardment of mixed messages from varied sources. However, one message that never gets old is that fruits are good for you, and there is solid scientific evidence to back up this claim.

Scientific findings have revealed that healthy diets rich in fruits may reduce the risk of a number of chronic, non-communicable diseases including cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease. This is in addition to providing fiber, essential vitamins and minerals, and other contributants to good health.

In Jamaica where there is a preponderance of fruits, there is ongoing scientific research on edible fruit species that are largely unfamiliar to the general public and therefore not included in the local diet nor are cultivated. One focus of research is the health-beneficial properties and biologically active constituents of uncommon Jamaican berries (raspberries and blackberries) and strawberry guavas which, at best, grow wild and are considered invasive.

“Where I grew up in Guys Hill, St. Catherine, there was a species of blackberry which grew right by my [primary] school. When it was in fruit, kids would raid the trees, so I knew about it and loved it from back then. I knew it was also uncommon because I did not see it anywhere else. While growing up I would hear about the wonderful properties of berries, so that was in my head space from an early time,” explained Dr. Camille Bowen-Forbes, food chemist and lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Mona. Bowen-Forbes researched this and similar fruits for her post-doctoral studies in 2008.

Given her talent as a food chemist and her love for fruits, coupled with an unquenchable thirst to research novel areas of study, Bowen-Forbes began investigating the local berries, a territory hitherto largely unresearched in Jamaica. Her research revealed that the local berries of the Rubus genus (blackberries and raspberries) contained positive biological properties. Similar properties have been found in related fruit species worldwide. “A plant species (or its contained compounds) which have good antioxidant properties is likely to have several other beneficial attributes,” Bowen-Forbes said. In the case of the blackberries and black raspberries, there is a high level of anthocyanins which are antioxidant-rich compounds that give flowers, fruits and other plant materials their red, purple and blue colours. These compounds contribute anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties to these fruits. Noteworthy is the fact that our local berries are also endowed with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties substantively superior to those on the overseas market.

Bowen-Forbes has been lauded for this research and received the UWI's award of Best Research Publication in the Faculty in 2010.

Health-promoting properties of strawberry guavas

Subsequent to her research on the berries, Bowen-Forbes explored the health-promoting properties of strawberry guavas (Psidium cattleianum).“The common guava is considered a super fruit due to its exceptional nutritional and other health-promoting properties including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties,” she said. She therefore hoped that the strawberry guava would possess similar or even better characteristics than the common guava. She pointed out that while these health-beneficial properties are common among fruits, the fruits she has studied are overly beneficial.

She found that the antioxidant activity of the strawberry guava was several times higher than that of the regular guava. The vitamin C content, as well as the polyphenolic content (compounds known for their antioxidant properties), were also present in significantly greater levels in strawberry guavas. All these attributes make the strawberry guava the superior fruit in comparison to the regular guava. Strawberry guavas, which are smaller, softer, and often described as more aromatic than common guavas, also possess relatively high fiber content, and as such, can be classified as an antioxidant dietary fiber (AODF). A high consumption of fiber is known to alleviate constipation, diabetes, coronary heart disease and other conditions.

Overall, the results from both studies illuminate the healthfulness of Jamaican berries and strawberry guavas. “I would definitely encourage and promote the consumption of greater amounts of these fruits, once they are available, because fruits in general are good and I know that these fruits are very good for a healthy lifestyle,” Bowen-Forbes said.

Economic Potential

Further, these uncommon local fruits could be exploited to improve the country's economic status. Bowen-Forbes stressed the potential of producing value-added products from these fruits, such as jams, jellies, juices, wines and a range of desserts. Two years ago, a tentative step was taken in this direction and raspberryflavoured jams and juices were showcased by UWI’s Department of Chemistry at the local Denbigh Agricultural Show.

Bowen-Forbes noted, however, that before capitalizing on value-added products, attention must be directed towards largescale cultivation of these fruits as, currently, they are present in small quantities and grow wild in various locales. This problem exists more so with the berries which flourish in cool, hilly terrains, she said.