New Zealand Blackcurrants
The South Island of New Zealand produces the highest quality blackcurrants in the world.
The climate in New Zealand ranges from temperate in the south to sub-tropical in the north. The South Island especially has optimal conditions for blackcurrant growing. The severe cold of the winter and the strong sunlight with high ultraviolet content, enable the cultivation of blackcurrants which are nutritious, delicious and full of flavour.
Blackcurrants have the darkest blue/black/purple colour of all berry fruit. It is this wonderful deep dark colour that gives blackcurrants their amazing health giving properties.
Colour and Phenolics
Colour is extremely important when it comes to fruit and especially so with blackcurrants. Within this dark colour of the blackcurrant skin are phenolics (favonoids and anthocyanins). These phenolics have exceptionally strong antioxidant effects, especially so with the anthocyanins.
Antioxidants
As we go about our daily lives oxidation reactions are occurring naturally within our cells. The bad side effects of cellular oxidation reactions contribute to diseases such as cardiovascular, cancer and the degenerative diseases of ageing. Antioxidants work against the bad side effects of cellular oxidation. Blackcurrants have exceptionally high levels of antioxidants compared to other berry fruits - even blueberries (graph).
Blackcurrants
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Claridges has Blackcurrant antioxidant capsules made from New Zealand Blackcurrants by "Just The Berries".
The dark colour (pigment) in the skin of the blackcurrant is extracted and dried into a powder. This powder is standardised and stabilised and then packed into capsules for consumption as a powerful fruit antioxidant.
Each pot contains 60 capsules and each capsule contains 500 milligrams of Currantex 20 (Just The Berries).
The suggested serving is 2 capsules per day.
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Blackcurrants nutrient levels
In relationship to other fruits blackcurrants are one of the most nutritious there are for humans to eat. Traditionally blackcurrants have been known for there Vitamin C content. The levels found in fresh blackcurrant berries are extremely high compared to all other fruits consumed within New Zealand. On average blackcurrants have 10-20 times more Vitamin C than other fruits.
When blackcurrants total nutrients are compared with the total nutrients of other fruits it can be seen why blackcurrants are called a "Super fruit", "Super food" and King of Berries.
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