Superfruit

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Superfruit

Superfruit, a marketing term first used in the food and beverage industry in 2005, refers to a fruit which combines exceptional nutrient

Nutrient

A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment....
richness and antioxidant

Antioxidant

An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the Redox of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent....
quality with appealing taste that can stimulate and retain loyalty for consumer products. Some popular fruits like strawberries, blackcurrants, blackberries or orange

Orange (fruit)

An orange?specifically, the sweet orange?is the citrus Citrus sinensis and its fruit. The orange is a Hybrid of ancient cultivated origin, possibly between pomelo and tangerine ....
s are not commonly mentioned as superfruits despite excellent nutritional properties, apparently because they have not been marketed specifically as superfruits.

Resulting from a deliberate business strategy of a manufacturer to bring together marketing, science and potential health value to consumers, a superfruit product is specifically designed in manufacturing and marketing.

Keys to marketing a successful superfruit product include the native fruit qualities, scientific evidence supporting a potential health benefit, marketing, protection of intellectual property

Intellectual property

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Encyclopedia

Superfruit, a marketing term first used in the food and beverage industry in 2005, refers to a fruit which combines exceptional nutrient

Nutrient

A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment....
richness and antioxidant

Antioxidant

An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the Redox of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent....
quality with appealing taste that can stimulate and retain loyalty for consumer products. Some popular fruits like strawberries, blackcurrants, blackberries or orange

Orange (fruit)

Intellectual property

Intellectual property are law property over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding fields of law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; ideas, discoveries and inventions; and words, phra...
and developing an appealing strategy to attract consumers. Combined in the right way, these elements may allow a fruit to achieve "critical mass" as a superfruit.

To date, superfruits have been developed mainly as juices, but began in 2007 to appear as single piece products or as ingredients for functional food

Functional food

Functional food or medicinal food is any fresh or processed food claimed to have a health-promoting and/or disease-preventing property beyond the basic nutritional function of supplying nutrients, although there is no consensus on an exact definition of the term....
s, confectioneries and cosmetics

Cosmetics

Cosmetics are substances used to enhance or protect the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care Cream , lotions, Powder , perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and gels, deodorants, baby products, bath oils, bubb...
. Current industry development includes applications for creating novel consumer products, such as energy drink

Energy drink

File:Energy drinks.jpgFile:Reloadice adjusted.jpgEnergy drinks are soft drinks advertised as providing Energy to improve physical activity of the drinker, as compared to a typical drink....
s, dietary supplement

Dietary supplement

A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to provide nutrients, such as vitamins, Dietary minerals, fatty acids or amino acids, that are missing or are not consumed in sufficient quantity in a person's diet ....
s, and flavor

Flavor

Flavor or flavour is the sensory impression of a food or other chemical substance, and is determined mainly by the chemical senses of taste and olfaction....
s with nutrient qualities, e.g. fortified water.

Although used increasingly in new food and beverage products, superfruits have not been defined by scientific criteria that would allow consumers to objectively assess nutrient value and potential for furnishing health benefits. Consequently, the term superfruit is used liberally to include a growing list of common and rare fruits, some having sparse scientific evidence for being "super".

Significance

The superfruit category is a relatively new marketing approach for promoting common or rare fruits used as raw materials and ingredients for the global industries of functional foods, beverages and nutraceuticals. The fruits have nutritional significance due to their nutrient richness, antioxidant value or anticipated health benefits. Superfruits have commercial significance associated with their novelty of taste, color, number of food or beverage product formats or potential to stimulate future products with innovative packaging and labeling.

The superfoods category is forecast to become a $10 billion global industry by 2011 with several thousand new superfruit products expected to enter the marketplace in 2007-8. According to DataMonitor, superfruit product launches over 2007-8 grew at a rate of 67%.

Origin and background

In 2004, the term superfoods was popularized by a best-selling book discussing 14 whole foods

Whole foods

Whole foods are those that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible before being consumed. They typically do not contain added ingredients, such as sugar, salt, or fat....
with extraordinary nutrition

Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with good nutrition....
. One – the blueberry

Blueberry

Blueberries are flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, sect. Cyanococcus. The species are native only to North America. They are shrubs varying in size from 10 cm tall to 4 m tall; the smaller species are known as "lowbush blueberries" , and the larger species as "highbush blueberries"....
– became known as a superfruit when its exceptional antioxidant

Antioxidant

United States Department of Agriculture

The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive departments responsible for developing and executing Federal government of the United States policy on farming, agriculture, and food....
assays on antioxidant strength, the oxygen radical absorbance capacity

Oxygen radical absorbance capacity

Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is a method of measuring antioxidant capacities of different foods. It was developed by the scientists at the National Institute on Aging in the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, but this method is not approved by the NIH....
or ORAC

ORAC

* Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is a scalar value useful for comparing the antioxidant content of different foods or nutritional supplements.* Orac is a fictional computer from the science fiction television series Blake's 7...
for 100 common foods. Wild blueberries ("lowbush", Vaccinium angustifolium

Lowbush blueberry

Lowbush Blueberry is a species of blueberry native to eastern and central Canada and the Northeastern United States United States, growing as far south as West Virginia and west to Minnesota and Manitoba....
) were at the top of the 2004 rankings for fruit. By refinement of the ORAC

ORAC

* Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is a scalar value useful for comparing the antioxidant content of different foods or nutritional supplements.* Orac is a fictional computer from the science fiction television series Blake's 7...
assay and new analyses published in 2006-7, other berry fruits such as açaí, wolfberry

Wolfberry

Wolfberry - commercially called goji berry - is the common name for the fruit of two very closely related species: Lycium barbarum and L....
(goji berry), elderberry

Elderberry

Sambucus is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees, formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but now shown by genetic evidence to be correctly classified in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae....
and cranberry

Cranberry

Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the genus Vaccinium subgenus Oxycoccos, or in some treatments, in the distinct genus Oxycoccos....
, have superseded blueberries on the antioxidant rankings, attention possibly caused by growing consumer demand for superfruits.

Indicating industry enthusiasm for novel product development, superfruits have been called "the future of health", "fruits of the future", "superheroes of functionality" and "heroes in the natural food marketplace". More than a dozen industry publications on functional foods and beverages have referred to various exotic or antioxidant species as superfruits (See also) with estimates for some 10,000 new product introductions in 2007-8.

However, definition of a superfruit remains obscure with no scientific standards or commercial criteria accepted uniformly in the industry.

Working definition

As a term, superfruit may have two meanings according to interest — one for commercial success, and another for health properties. Below, these together combine with other criteria to qualify a superfruit.

Definition by commercial success or promise of health benefits

A superfruit is thought by many consumers to be any fruit offering value beyond basic nutrition. Key criteria for superfruit success appear to include novelty, perceived health benefits, convenience, reliable supply and effective promotion.

Juices and fruit blend beverages are popular for consuming superfruits at present as beverages seem preferred for convenience and product enjoyment. Fruit juice remains one of the only foods consumers still regard as "natural" even when pasteurized and processed.

Additionally, mainstream consumers seem to accept juices of fruits that would not be popular in fresh form, such as noni

Noni

Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as great morinda, Indian mulberry, Mengkudu , beach mulberry, Tahitian noni, cheese fruit or noni is a tree in the Coffea family, Rubiaceae....
and pomegranate

Pomegranate

The pomegranate is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing to between five and eight metres tall. The pomegranate is native to the region from Iran to the Himalayas in northern India and has been cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean Basin region and the Caucasus since ancient times....
-- two of the largest selling juices. The noni juice market, having grown to more than 300 products worldwide since 1996, represents an industry greater than $2 billion in cumulative sales. Earlier reports showed pomegranate-based products grew nearly 400 per cent over 2005-7 from new launches, a gain exceeding all the previous six years. Similarly, XanGo

XanGo

XanGo, LLC, founded in 2002, is a privately owned international multi-level marketing company based in Lehi, Utah. The company markets and distributes Xango juice, a blended juice product consisting of mangosteen and other juices, which is promoted as a dietary supplement....
, a multiple-fruit juice containing mangosteen

Mangosteen

The Purple Mangosteen , colloquially known simply as "the mangosteen", is a tropical evergreen tree, believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia....
juice, grew from $40 million in 2002 sales to over $200 million in 2005, with anticipated total sales for 2006-7 of approximately $400 million.

To begin consideration of commercial characteristics that may apply to defining a superfruit are criteria related to market success or promise for gaining health benefits

Novelty judged by consumers
Appeal to consumers (visual, aromatic, taste, physical, perceived health benefit)
Supply by growers, processors and shipping capabilities
Production by farmers and manufacturers
Convenience of using the raw material
Promotion, marketing and distribution
Creation of a market niche, employing a low-volume, high-value strategy relative to major retail brands
Sales year over year
Growth potential, innovative new products

One 2007 strategy of manufacturers is to use superfruits to enhance flavor of other products, attempting to mask tastes or provide impressions of novelty and health. With some 5,000 new products introduced in 2005 on berries alone and more than 500 new superfruit products launched in 2006, the superfruit category is establishing significant commercial presence. DataMonitor includes the superfruit category as one of the top 10 global trends in consumer products for 2008.

Definition by potential for health properties

Although a superfruit category has not been defined scientifically, its foundation presumably would involve characteristics of 1) high nutrient

Nutrient

A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment....
density, 2) superior antioxidant

Antioxidant

An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the Redox of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent....
quality, 3) potential health benefits and/or 4) ease with which the fruit can be further designed through breeding to contain characteristics demanded by consumers, such as flavor, appearance, fragrance and health benefits.

Evidence for these third and fourth criteria would include intensity of the current research effort and/or preliminary evidence for lowered disease

Disease

A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and Medical signs....
risk in human subjects (“disease impact”).

Nutrient
Nutrient

A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment....
density
Fulfilling a significant percentage of the Daily Value for a key nutrient(s) by consumption of a single serving
Antioxidant
Antioxidant

An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the Redox of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent....
strength
Capability to affect other molecules, biomarkers and cell
Cell (biology)

The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known Life organisms. It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living, and is often called the building bricks of life....
or organ
Organ (anatomy)

In biology, an organ is a biological tissue that performs a specific function or group of functions. Usually there is a main tissue and sporadic tissues....
function in a well-designed laboratory
Laboratory

A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which science research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories....
experiment
Capability for horticultural breeding to modify the fruit's characteristics for improved nutrient and/or phytochemical composition
Intensity of current basic medical research and, if applicable, status of existing human clinical trials
Potential for preventing or lowering risk of disease
Disease

A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and Medical signs....

Commonly mentioned superfruits

Format: common name, botanical name, main country(ies) of origin supplying the commercial market.

açaí (Euterpe oleracea), Brazil
Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
, Venezuela
Venezuela

Venezuela , officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a country on the northern coast of South America.The country comprises a continental mainland and numerous islands located off the Venezuelan coastline in the Caribbean Sea....
blueberry
Blueberry

Blueberries are flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, sect. Cyanococcus. The species are native only to North America. They are shrubs varying in size from 10 cm tall to 4 m tall; the smaller species are known as "lowbush blueberries" , and the larger species as "highbush blueberries"....
(Vaccinium angustifolium and Vaccinium corymbosum), Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
(Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is a Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada located on Canada's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada....
, Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
, British Columbia
British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
), United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
(Maine
Maine

The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
, New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
, Michigan
Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
), Chile
Chile

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean....
cranberry
Cranberry

Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the genus Vaccinium subgenus Oxycoccos, or in some treatments, in the distinct genus Oxycoccos....
(Vaccinium macrocarpon), United States (Wisconsin
Wisconsin

Wisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. state in the United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States. It borders two of the five Great Lakes and four U.S....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
, Washington
Washington

Washington is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute....
, New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
), Canada (Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
, British Columbia
British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
), Chile
Chile

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean....
goji (wolfberry
Wolfberry

Wolfberry - commercially called goji berry - is the common name for the fruit of two very closely related species: Lycium barbarum and L....
, Lycium barbarum), China
grape
Grape

File:Table grapes on white.jpgA grape is the non-Climacteric #In_botany fruit that grows on the Perennial plant and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis....
(red, Vitis vinifera), parts of central Asia, Europe (native), United States (California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
)
guarana
Guarana

Guarana from the Portuguese language: guaran? , Paullinia cupana , is a climbing plant in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil....
(Paullinia cupana), Brazil, Venezuela
mango
Mango

Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae....
(Mangifera indica), Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent is a large section of the Asian continent consisting of the land lying substantially on the Indian Plate. The subcontinent includes parts of various countries in South Asia, including those on the continental crust , an Island#Continental islands country on the continental shelf , and an Island#Oceanic islands countr...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
mangosteen
Mangosteen

The Purple Mangosteen , colloquially known simply as "the mangosteen", is a tropical evergreen tree, believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia....
(Garcinia mangostana), Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
, South Pacific
Oceania

Oceania is a geography, often geopolitics, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The term "Oceania" was coined in 1831 by French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville....
Islands, Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
, Thailand
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
, Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
noni
Noni

Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as great morinda, Indian mulberry, Mengkudu , beach mulberry, Tahitian noni, cheese fruit or noni is a tree in the Coffea family, Rubiaceae....
(Morinda citrifolia), South Pacific Islands
pomegranate
Pomegranate

The pomegranate is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing to between five and eight metres tall. The pomegranate is native to the region from Iran to the Himalayas in northern India and has been cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean Basin region and the Caucasus since ancient times....
(Punica granatum), Mediterranean Region, United States (California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
)
sea-buckthorn
Sea-buckthorn

The sea-buckthorns are deciduous shrubs in the genus Hippophae, family Elaeagnaceae. The name sea-buckthorn is hyphenated here to avoid confusion with the buckthorns ....
(Hippophae rhamnoides), Asia, Europe

Apple

APPLE

This article is about the satellite APPLE. For the fruit apple, see Apple. For other uses see Apple .The Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment , was an experimental communication satellite with a C-Band transponder launched by Indian Space Research Organisation satellite on June 19, 1981 by Ariane 1, a launch vehicle of the European Spac...
s (Malus domestica), oranges

Orange (fruit)

Tomato

The Tomato is an herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, as are its close cousins Nicotiana, potatoes, aubergine , chilli peppers, and the poisonous Atropa belladonna....
es (Solanum lycopersicum) and common berries, such as strawberries (Fragaria vesca), red raspberries

Raspberry

The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the subgenus Rubus#Scientific classification of the genus Rubus; the name also applies to these plants themselves....
(Rubus idaeus) and blackberries (Rubus ursinus) used for a large number of consumer products, achieve many of the criteria to be superfruits. They are, however, commonly known in the public and have not attracted interest as novelty ingredients, so are not usually included in industry reports as superfruits.

Table of nutrient, antioxidant and research features

The diversity and density of nutrients and antioxidant phytochemicals distinguishing superfruits are complex. To assist orientation to this category, a summary of specific phytonutrient features and examples of research progress are presented below.

Superfruits	Principal Nutrients	Key Antioxidants	Recent Anti-Disease Research^
Açaí	omega fatty acid Fatty acid In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid often with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturation or Unsaturated compound.... s, dietary fiber Dietary fiber Dietary fiber, sometimes called "roughage", is the indigestible portion of plant foods that pushes food through the digestive system, absorbing water and easing defecation....	anthocyanins, exceptional ORAC ORAC * Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is a scalar value useful for comparing the antioxidant content of different foods or nutritional supplements.* Orac is a fictional computer from the science fiction television series Blake's 7...	leukemia Leukemia Leukemia is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow and is characterized by an abnormal proliferation of blood Cell , usually white blood cells ....
Blueberry Blueberry Blueberries are flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, sect. Cyanococcus. The species are native only to North America. They are shrubs varying in size from 10 cm tall to 4 m tall; the smaller species are known as "lowbush blueberries" , and the larger species as "highbush blueberries"....	vitamin C Vitamin C Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of simian species, a small number of other mammalian species , a few species of birds, and some fish.... , manganese Manganese Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a Oxidation state in nature , and in many minerals....	anthocyanidin Anthocyanidin Anthocyanidins are common plant pigments. They are the sugar-free counterparts of anthocyanins based on the benzopyrylium ion. They form a large group of polymethine dye.... s	inflammation
Cranberry Cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the genus *Vaccinium* subgenus *Oxycoccos, or in some treatments, in the distinct genus Oxycoccos*....	vitamin C Vitamin C Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of simian species, a small number of other mammalian species , a few species of birds, and some fish....	anthocyanins	oral bacteria
Grape Grape File:Table grapes on white.jpgA grape is the non-Climacteric #In_botany fruit that grows on the Perennial plant and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis....	manganese	resveratrol Resveratrol Resveratrol is a phytoalexin produced naturally by several plants when under attack by pathogens such as bacteria or fungi. Resveratrol has also been produced by chemical synthesis and is sold as a nutritional supplement derived primarily from Japanese knotweed....	atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a syndrome affecting artery blood vessels. It is a chronic inflammatory response in the walls of arteries, in large part due to the accumulation of macrophage white blood cells and promoted by low density lipoproteins without adequate removal of fats and cholesterol from the macrophages by functional high density lipoprot... , lipid peroxidation
Guarana Guarana Guarana from the Portuguese language: guaran? , Paullinia cupana , is a climbing plant in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil.... +	n/a	n/a	mental fatigue
Mango Mango Mangoes belong to the genus *Mangifera*, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae....	dietary fiber Dietary fiber Dietary fiber, sometimes called "roughage", is the indigestible portion of plant foods that pushes food through the digestive system, absorbing water and easing defecation.... , vitamin C	carotenoid Carotenoid Carotenoids are organic compound pigments that are naturally occurring in chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthesis organisms like algae, some types of fungus and some bacterium.... s, polyphenol Polyphenol Polyphenols are a group of chemical substances found in plants, characterized by the presence of more than one phenol unit or building block per molecule.... s	myocardial vascular disease
Mangosteen Mangosteen The Purple Mangosteen , colloquially known simply as "the mangosteen", is a tropical evergreen tree, believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia....	dietary fiber, thiamin	exocarp xanthone Xanthone Xanthone is an organic compound with the molecular formula C13H8O2. It can be prepared by the heating of phenyl salicylate.... s	leukemia
Noni Noni *Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as great morinda, Indian mulberry, Mengkudu* , beach mulberry, Tahitian noni, cheese fruit or noni is a tree in the Coffea family, Rubiaceae....	vitamin C, potassium	lignan Lignan The lignans are a group of chemical compounds found in plants, particularly in flax seed. Lignans are one of the major classes of phytoestrogens, which are estrogen-like chemicals and also act as antioxidants.... s	inflammation, cancer
Pomegranate Pomegranate The pomegranate is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing to between five and eight metres tall. The pomegranate is native to the region from Iran to the Himalayas in northern India and has been cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean Basin region and the Caucasus since ancient times....	vitamin C	punicalagins, ellagic acid Ellagic acid Ellagic acid is a polyphenol antioxidant found in numerous fruits and vegetables including raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, walnuts, pecans, pomegranates and other plant foods....	prostate Prostate The prostate is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male mammalian reproductive system. Females do not have a prostate gland, although females do have tiny paraurethral Skene's glands connected to the distal third of the urethra in the prevaginal space that are homologous to the prostate.... cancer
Seabuckthorn	vitamins A,C,E	carotenoid Carotenoid Carotenoids are organic compound pigments that are naturally occurring in chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthesis organisms like algae, some types of fungus and some bacterium.... s, polyphenols	inflammation
Wolfberry Wolfberry Wolfberry - commercially called goji berry - is the common name for the fruit of two very closely related species: Lycium barbarum and L....	dietary fiber, riboflavin Riboflavin Riboflavin , also known as vitamin B2, is an easily absorbed micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in humans and animals....	carotenoids, polyphenols	neurological disease

^ nearly all superfruit research is in vitro

In vitro

In vitro refers to the technique of performing a given procedure in a controlled environment outside of a living organism. Some may argue that in vitro refers to a process that is created in a "test tube"; however, Robert Kail and John Cavanaugh on page 58 in the 4th edition of Human Development: A Life-Span View cite that in fact th...
or on laboratory disease models, i.e., at a stage preliminary to human clinical trial

Clinical trial

In health care, clinical trials are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for new drugs or devices. These trials can only take place once satisfactory information has been gathered on the quality of the product and its non-clinical safety, and Institutional review board approval is granted in the country where the trial...
s

+ included due to its growing use as an energy ingredient; n/a, not applicable

Table of qualitative indices for monitoring superfruit development

As commerce for superfruits has evolved rapidly in 2007-8 - estimated to become part of a $10 billion superfoods industry by 2011 - it is useful to monitor progress of their development. Below are four qualitative indices giving benchmarks for scientific information and commercial progress.

Superfruits	Nutrient Content	Antioxidant Quality	Research Intensity^^	Commercial Success
Açaí	high	high	low	moderate
Blueberry Blueberry Blueberries are flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, sect. Cyanococcus. The species are native only to North America. They are shrubs varying in size from 10 cm tall to 4 m tall; the smaller species are known as "lowbush blueberries" , and the larger species as "highbush blueberries"....	moderate	moderate	moderate	moderate
Cranberry Cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the genus *Vaccinium* subgenus *Oxycoccos, or in some treatments, in the distinct genus Oxycoccos*....	moderate	moderate	moderate	high
Grape Grape File:Table grapes on white.jpgA grape is the non-Climacteric #In_botany fruit that grows on the Perennial plant and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis....	moderate	moderate	high	high
Guarana Guarana Guarana from the Portuguese language: guaran? , Paullinia cupana , is a climbing plant in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil.... +	n/a	n/a	low	moderate
Mango Mango Mangoes belong to the genus *Mangifera*, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae....	high	moderate	moderate	high
Mangosteen Mangosteen The Purple Mangosteen , colloquially known simply as "the mangosteen", is a tropical evergreen tree, believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia....	low	low	low	high
Noni Noni *Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as great morinda, Indian mulberry, Mengkudu* , beach mulberry, Tahitian noni, cheese fruit or noni is a tree in the Coffea family, Rubiaceae....	low	low	low	high
Pomegranate Pomegranate The pomegranate is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing to between five and eight metres tall. The pomegranate is native to the region from Iran to the Himalayas in northern India and has been cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean Basin region and the Caucasus since ancient times....	low	moderate	moderate	high
Seabuckthorn	high	high	low	low
Wolfberry Wolfberry Wolfberry - commercially called goji berry - is the common name for the fruit of two very closely related species: Lycium barbarum and L....	high	high	low	moderate

Qualitative estimates of research or commercial success are in relation to each other for these 10 fruits. Commercially, all but guarana are developed mainly as juices or juice blends.

+ included due to its growing use as an energy ingredient; n/a, not applicable

^^ estimate based on number of publications in medical literature

Emerging superfruit candidates

Other superfruit candidates emerging with medical research evidence for high nutrient and antioxidant contents having potential health properties or mentioned in 2006-7 industry reports include those below. References provide research evidence for significant nutrient or phytochemical content or anti-disease properties.

acerola
Acerola

Acerola or Acerolla, also known as Barbados cherry or wild crapemyrtle, is a tropical fruit-bearing shrub or small tree in the family Malpighiaceae....
(Barbados cherry, Malpighia emarginata, Malpighia glabra)
baobab
Baobab

Baobab is the common name of a genus containing eight species of trees, native to Madagascar , mainland Africa and Australia . The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that country....
(Adansonia digitata)
red bayberry (yumberry, Myrica rubra)
bilberry
Bilberry

Bilberry is a name given to several species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium that bears false berrys. The species most often referred to is Vaccinium myrtillus L., otherwise known as the European blueberry....
(Vaccinium myrtillus)
black raspberry
Raspberry

The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the subgenus Rubus#Scientific classification of the genus Rubus; the name also applies to these plants themselves....
(Rubus occidentalis)
black chokeberry
Chokeberry

The chokeberries are two species of deciduous shrubs in the family Rosaceae, native to eastern North America and most commonly found in wet woods and swamps....
("aronia", Aronia melanocarpa)
blackcurrant
Blackcurrant

The Blackcurrant is a species of Ribes berry native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia. It is also known as French "cassis".It is a small shrub growing to 1?2 m tall....
(Ribes nigrum)
camu camu
Camu Camu

Myrciaria dubia, commonly known as Camu Camu, CamuCamu, Cacari, and Camocamo, is a small bushy river side tree from the Amazon Rainforest vegetation in Peru and Brazil, which bears a red/purple cherry like fruit....
(Myrciaria dubia)
sour (tart) cherry
Cherry

The word cherry refers to a fleshy fruit that contains a single stony seed. The cherry belongs to the family Rosaceae, genus Prunus, along with almonds, peaches, plums, apricots and bird cherry ....
(Prunus cerasus)
cupuaçu
Cupuaçu

Cupua?u , also spelled Cupuassu and Copoasu, is a tropical rainforest tree related to Cacao. Common throughout the Amazon basin, it is widely cultivated in the north of Brazil, with the largest production in Par?, followed by Amazonas , Rond?nia and Acre ....
(Theobroma grandiflorum)
date
Date Palm

Phoenix dactylifera, commonly known as the Date Palm, is a Arecaceae in the genus Phoenix , extensively cultivated for its edible sweet fruit....
(Phoenix dactylifera)
durian
Durian

The durian is the fruit of trees from the genus Durio belonging to the Malvaceae Family . Widely known and revered in Southeast Asia as the "King of Fruits", the fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique odor, and formidable Spine -covered husk....
(Durio kutejensis)
elderberry
Elderberry

Sambucus is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees, formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but now shown by genetic evidence to be correctly classified in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae....
(Sambucus canadensis, Sambucus nigra)
red guava
Guava

Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium, which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. Native to Mexico and Central America, northern South America, parts of the Caribbean and some parts of North Africa, guavas are now cultivated and naturalized throughout the tropics, and are also grown in some...
(Psidium guajava, many species)
Indian gooseberry
Indian gooseberry

The Indian gooseberry is a deciduous tree of the Euphorbiaceae family. It is known for its edible fruit of the same name.Common names of this tree include amalaka in Sanskrit, amla in Hindi, amlaki in Bengali language, Nellikkai in Tamil language, ????? in Telugu, and amala in Nepal Bhasa....
(amalaka, amla, Phyllanthus emblica)
kiwifruit
Kiwifruit

The kiwifruit is the edible berry of a cultivar of the woody plant vine Actinidia deliciosa and Hybrid s between this and other species in the genus Actinidia....
(Actinidia deliciosa)
lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)
longan
Longan

The longan is a tropical tree native to southern China. It is also found in Southeast Asia. It is also called guiyuan in Chinese language, lengkeng in Indonesia, mata kucing in Malaysia, nh?n in Vietnamese , Mora in Sinhalese and also "longan" in Tagalog language....
(Dimocarpus longan)
lychee
Lychee

The Lychee , also spelled Litchi or Laichi and Lichu, Chinese language: ??, Hanyu Pinyin: L?zhi, is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family Sapindaceae....
(Litchi chinensis)
muscadine
Muscadine

Muscadines are a Vitis species native to the present-day southeastern United States that has been extensively cultivated since the 16th Century....
grape (Vitis rotundifolia)
papaya
Papaya

The papaya , is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, in the genus Carica. It is native to the tropics of the Americas, and was cultivated in Mexico several centuries before the emergence of the Mesoamerica....
(Carica papaya)
saskatoon berry
Saskatoon berry

The Saskatoon, Saskatoon berry, serviceberry or Juneberry is a shrub native to North America from Alaska across most of western Canada and in the western and north central United States....
(Amelanchier alnifolia, Nutt)
tamarind
Tamarind

The Tamarind is a tree in the rank Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic . It is a tropical tree, native to tropical Africa, including Sudan and parts of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests....
(Tamarindus indica)
wild cherry
Wild Cherry

The Wild Cherry, Sweet Cherry or Gean is a species of Prunus, native to Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia, from the British Isles south to Morocco and Tunisia, north to the Trondheimsfjord region in Norway and east to southern Sweden, Poland, Ukraine, the Caucasus, and northern Iran, with a small disjunct population in the wes...
(sweet, Prunus avium)
yuzu
Yuzu

The yuzu is a citrus fruit originating in East Asia. It is believed to be a hybrid of sour Citrus reticulata and Ichang Lemon. The fruit looks a bit like a very small grapefruit with an uneven skin, and can be either yellow or green depending on the degree of ripeness....
(Citrus ichangensis x C. reticulata)

Collectively, however, there is insufficient commercial and/or medical research activity to confirm these species as superfruits.

Similarly, as discovered in Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
and Africa, several fruit species mostly unknown to science and commerce have characteristics that may eventually qualify them for superfruit status.

Book

Crawford K, Mellentin J. Successful Superfruit Strategy: How To Build a Superfruit Business, Woodhead Publishing Ltd., Cambridge, England, July 2008, ISBN 1845695402