Cranberry is rarely consumed fresh, due to its tart and astringent taste. It is chiefly consumed as processed juice (60%) and to a lesser extent as sauce and sweetened, dried fruit.
Fruit harvested for fresh-market sale is generally cleaned, air-dried, and stored for several weeks until it can be marketed for the appropriate holiday season.
Cranberries are fruits with the excellent benefit on human health. They a rich source of macro- and microelements, vitamins and other positive effective phytochemicals.
Raw cranberries have moderate levels of vitamin C, dietary fiber and the essential dietary mineral, manganese, (each nutrient having Daily Value per 100 g serving) as well as other essential micronutrients in minor amounts.
American cranberry has a complex and rich phytochemical composition, particularly flavan-3-ols, A-type procyanidins (PACs), anthocyanins, benzoic acid, and ursolic acid. Cranberry flavan-3-ols are present as monomers, oligomers, and polymers.
Cranberry fruits and leaves have been used to treat a variety of medical conditions, such as wounds, urinary disorders, diarrhea, diabetes, stomach ailments and liver problems in herbal medicine throughout history.
Cranberries – antioxidants rich fruits
