Move over kale: Manitoba-grown wild berry could be next superfood, scientist says
Sarah Petz | CBC News | Posted: August 22, 2023 10:19 PM | Last Updated: August 22, 2023
Researchers want to spread the word about lingonberry’s major health benefits
You may have never heard of the lingonberry, a small, red berry that grows in the wild in Manitoba, particularly in the north.
But food scientists based out of St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg say the berry has incredible disease-fighting potential and they want it to become more widely available.
To that end, they're partnering with the Assiniboine Park Conservancy to build public awareness.
"This berry pack a bunch of health benefits and with better public … knowledge of this, maybe the demand would increase," said Dr. Chris Siow, a food scientist with the Canadian Centre for Agricultural Research in Health & Medicine, which is located at the St. Boniface Albrechtsen Research Centre in Winnipeg.
Siow has been researching the berry for more than 15 years. Compared to blueberries or cranberries, his research suggests the lesser-known lingonberry is three times richer in antioxidants and also has anti-inflammatory properties.
In another study, animals who were fed a diet supplemented with lingonberries showed improvements in various disease biomarkers, he said.
WATCH | Scientist explains potential health benefits of lingonberries:
However, these benefits are not well known to the public yet, and the berry isn't commercially grown on a large scale in Canada, Siow said.
That's why Siow and his team have donated 50 lingonberry plants to the Assiniboine Park Conservancy so people can learn more about them.
The plants come from the Agri-Food Canada's Research and Development Centre in Morden, where Siow's colleague Oscar Molina has been overseeing lingonberry test plots to see if the berries can grow in southern Manitoba conditions.
So far, some plants have been doing well, Molina said.
"We hope that next year, for instance, we are going to have a really good yield on the berries."
Siow said his team wants to get more farmers growing them so that one day Canadians can pick them up at grocery stores alongside other fruits and vegetables.
The lingonberry bushes were planted in late June in the kitchen garden at The Leaf, the biomes at Assiniboine Park, which are home to a variety of vegetables, fruits and other edible plants.
"It was a great fit because it really allows people to take a look and see something new, something a little bit different and something that has a lot of potential," said Gerald Dieleman, senior director of horticulture at Assiniboine Park Conservancy.
The hope is that The Leaf can one day incorporate the berries into its restaurant menu, Dieleman said.