Fruit for Thought: Investigation of nutrition and health properties of new soft fruit crops grown in Scotland

Challenges

Scottish agriculture, climate and economy are changing, as are our views and opinions on the food we consume. The importance of healthier food choices is becoming better understood due to the mounting instances of illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, childhood obesity and dementia. Over the last two decades less than a quarter of adults aged 16 or over consistently meet the five-a-day recommendation for consumption of fruit and vegetables in Scotland. The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have placed additional pressures on diet and health, with greater risk of adverse outcomes for those who are obese or overweight. The pandemic has had detrimental effects on the mental health and wellbeing of the population.

The Scottish soft fruit industry is an economically important part of the agricultural sector in Scotland. There is a need to develop crops for the future which are more resilient to the changes in climate and require lower high-carbon inputs, such as fertilisers and pesticides. It is important to increase biodiversity by introducing new agricultural crops which have increased resilience, minimizing the need for pesticides and thus have a positive environmental impact. Establishing such crops can also extend production seasons, mitigating risk for farmers from sporadic unfavourable growing conditions.  Extending the growing season for Scottish soft fruit would also extend the period that fresh locally grown soft fruit would be available for Scottish consumers.

Market research shows the public look for health claims on new products and soft fruits. To make this switch, producers need insurances there will be a market for their products. This requires consumers understanding and having confidence in the new soft fruit. Discussion with the growers indicates that the ability to market new soft fruits as healthy would be a key attribute in helping to encourage their diversification plans. What is not known is how nutritious these new crops are when grown in Scotland compared to other fruits that are currently available. The problem with any new product being introduced into the marketplace is the acceptability of that product by the public which can be difficult to overcome. This is then the key factor that drives increased production and consumer uptake.

Questions

Solutions

The central aim of this project is to evaluate the healthiness of alternative soft fruit crops that can be grown in Scotland, which not only have the desired agronomic traits but also the interest and support of the fruit growers in Scotland.

To do this, we are investigating the nutritional and health properties of locally grown soft fruits which could be used to promote them as a healthy food choice. We focus on three soft-fruit crops; two of the most recent to be introduced to Scottish soil (honeyberry, and cherry) which have more favourable agronomic characteristics and climate resilience than existing soft fruits grown in Scotland. These are being compared with the health properties of a well-established soft-fruit crop (raspberries) currently widely grown in Scotland particularly around Fife, Angus, and Perthshire.

We are delivering an intervention study focusing on the physiological and biochemical health measures of glucose metabolism and mental health. Cognitive decline and development of dementia is a particularly important health issue given Scotland’s aging population. Premature cognitive decline is linked to changes, in glucose metabolism and the development of insulin resistance in fact type 3 diabetes has even been proposed as an alternative title for Alzheimer’s disease and increased plasma glucose levels have been associated with lower episodic memory in nondiabetics. We are, therefore, investigating the effects of these fruits on both glucose metabolism and short-term cognitive performance.

Project Partners

Progress