Aronia melanocarpa, also known as black chokeberry, is a deciduous shrub that belongs to the Rosaceae family. Nowadays, chokeberries are cultivated as an important industrial crop and are processed into juices, nectars, wines, jams, and food-grade colorants. Aronia melanocarpa fruits are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B complex, carotenoids, tocopherols, vitamin C, and vitamin K, macroelements (K, Ca, P, Mg, Na), and microelements (Zn, Fe, Se, Cu, Mo, Cr, Mn, Si, Ni, B, V)[1].
Chokeberry Coloring Food
Chokeberry powder can be used for direct consumption as a diet supplement. Aronia dietary fiber has a dark red-purple color and, like blackcurrant fiber, can be used as a natural colorant in food applications, including the fish-meat and vegetarian industries.
Pemmican
Pemmican comes from the Cree word for fat: Pimikan. Native Americans shared this food preservation method and recipes with explorers and trappers, enabling human exploration into areas previously thought unsurvivable. At 3,000 calories a pound, this food could keep people going for months. The Native American recipe for pemmican included chokeberries, which are rich in Vitamin C. This helped to prevent scurvy, solving another problem that stunted human exploration for centuries.
Chokeberry spread
Recommended use for breakfast, sweets, cupcakes, crepes & waffles, cakes. It can be added to yogurt and ice-cream desserts. Chokeberry fruits reveal numerous health benefits and are among the richest sources of polyphenols, particularly anthocyanins, in the plant kingdom[2]. Besides strong antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities, the beneficial health effects of chokeberry include gastroprotective, hypotensive, lipid-lowering, anticarcinogenic, neuroprotective, and cardioprotective effects[3].
Chokeberry fruit herbal tea
It does magic to your beauty and brings harmony to your body and senses. Chokeberry fruit teas are a perfect supplement to your everyday diet with vitamins and mineral salts. They are a delicious hot drink and have a refreshing effect when served with ice. Fruit and herbal teas have a very beneficial influence on your organisms and are widely used in folk medicine.
Chokeberry rum
Chokeberry rum is a combination of the finest rum and the natural sweetness of Aronia berries, which are known for their health benefits. The Aronia berries add a tangy and refreshing flavor to the smooth and rich rum. Enjoy it neat, over ice, or mixed with your favorite drink.
1. Sidor A., Gramza-Michałowska A. Black chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa L. a qualitative composition, phenolic profile and antioxidant potential. Molecules. 2019;24:3710. doi: 10.3390/molecules24203710.
2. Denev P., Kratchanov C., Ciz M., Lojek A., Kratchanova M. Bioavailability and antioxidant activity of black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) polyphenols: In vitro and in vivo evidences and possible mechanisms of action. A Review. Compr. Rev. Food Sci. Food Saf. 2012;11:471–489. doi: 10.1111/j.1541-4337.2012.00198.x.
3. Bushmeleva K., Vyshtakalyuk A., Terenzhev D., Belov T., Parfenov A., Sharonova N., Nikitin E., Zobov V. Radical scavenging actions and immunomodulatory activity of Aronia melanocarpa propylene glycol extracts. Plants. 2021;10:2458. doi: 10.3390/plants1011245
