cranberry | MY SPECIAL DOCTOR

Cranberry intensive cultivation and production

20 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Habitat

The cranberry shrub originally grew in the sandy soils and swamps of North America. Today, as we know, it is widespread and cultivated in many states of the union for food purposes. The cranberry requires exposure to shade, abundant watering and moist, cool soil. The ideal habitat, therefore consists of the combination of soil and hydrogeological features, typical of the marshy areas of Massachusetts. Natural swamps came into being 10,000 years ago through the melting of glaciers. Rock fragments of different sizes and organic materials have settled on the surface of the glacial boiler cavities, making them impermeable and preventing materials from seeping into the water table. These natural cavities filled with water and organic material and generated the ideal environment for the cranberry. The cultivation of these fruits also requires a support system, which mimics the conditions of the natural habitat. Unlike common farmland, cranberry soil does not require tillage, only small additions of sand and organic material. Every 2-5 years a mixture of dead leaves and sand is added to the base of the plants to reinvigorate the crop. Vaccinium macrocarpon is adapted to low temperatures, but not to frost. Being a swamp plant, cranberry prefers submerged soils. Flooding is done at the end of the growing season, and through good drainage, plant development is ensured.

Production cycle

The cranberry production cycle lasts 16 months. New buds sprout in July of the previous year of harvest, buds develop during summer and fall with bud formation on vertical shoots. From August, the first stages of flower budding can be seen, and until October there continue to be changes. As temperatures drop, the dormancy phase begins, lasting until spring for a variable length of time.

The development cycle ends with flowering and fruit ripening as temperatures rise and days become longer. During June the branches elongate as new leaves form, and by the end of the month most are open and the fields take on the appearance of a pink carpet. Between June and July, bees pollinate the flowers and young berries. From this time until harvest, the ripening cycle coincides with the beginning of the next year’s new growth cycle. By September, the berries begin to turn red, and 80 days after flowering, maturity is complete.

Cultivation

Cranberry cultivation requires special environmental conditions. Although it is a cold-hardy plant, it can only grow and survive in the presence of a combination of factors. Cranberry prefers sandy soils with rich hummus and has a decidedly acidic reaction.

One of the decisive factors to the development of cultivation plants is the soil, which must be moist and well drained. Growers prepare soil suitable for crop needs by stratifying sand, peat, gravel and clay. Historically, crops were planted in wetlands characterized by an abundance of slow-moving water, which created an oxygen-poor and inhospitable environment for bacteria. Currently, cranberry fields are located in flat areas, and topsoil is dug up to dig a ditch and within which 10-20 centimeters of clean sand is poured. The bases are also drained with ditch reinforcement bricks. In addition to retaining water, this prevents the irrigation device from running over shrubs. Ditches are important for both flooding and drainage. Cranberry planting is done by resting the branches on the new layers of sand, burying them with a special tool. Often during the first year, the soil of the bases, is treated with nitrogen-based fertilizer. In autumn the fields are flooded with water to facilitate harvesting and in winter to protect the plants from low temperatures. On fields where ice forms, some trucks dump a thin layer of sand, which helps fight pests. Sand is added every 3-5 years, which not only helps vine growth but also slows the development of weeds and insects.

Source: The Cranberry – A fruit that never ceases to amaze by Mediserve

Cranberry Harvest: the harvest

21 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

The fall harvest of ripe berries in the cranberry fields is a breathtaking event, thanks to the color impact offered by the berries surfacing at the water’s edge. Cranberry harvesting occurs once a year, beginning in mid-September and continuing until early November. There are two methods of collection: dry collection and water collection.

Dry collection

Dry harvesting is done by growers, who walk through the plantations, pushing carts equipped with mechanisms, which convey the berries detached from the bushes into crates. The fresh fruits are then transported to the farms where berry sorting takes place based on color and bounce ability. Dry or rotten berries and pier berries are discarded. This type of harvesting is mainly used for the fresh fruit market and for making culinary recipes.

Water collection

Water harvesting is another method by which bogs are flooded with about half a meter of water. “Whiskers,” special machines traverse the flooded fields creating eddies of water that help the fruit separate from the plant. At this point, the berries are easily gathered and harvested with suction pumps that perform an initial washing of the fruit. The cranberries, then, are transported to the farms for cleaning and subsequent stages of fresh product preparation. Blueberries harvested from flooded fields are used to make juice or sauces. In terms of volume, water harvesting yields more than dry harvesting, but tends to reduce the quality and shelf life of fruit in storage. Berries can be damaged when they are placed in water and crushed during mechanical harvesting. Usually the water-harvested berries are immediately frozen or dried and packed in packages of various sizes.

Source: Cranberry – A fruit that never ceases to amaze by Mediserve

The fruit of health: the Cranberry

20 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FRESH CRANBERRY

Cranberries have a high water content as well as a high sugar content. Berries contain fiber, minerals, and vitamins A, B, and C. The non-digestible fibrous compounds are able to regulate some metabolic functions. Due to their low sodium content and fair amount of potassium, cranberries have a fair diuretic effect. Within the American cranberry are several active ingredients: digestive tonic organic acids, myrtillin, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins and anthocyaninins, tannites, catechins, omega 3 and omega 6, phytosterols, tocopherols and tocotrienols. The organic acids that give the berries a sour taste represent a large blood spillover of alkaline bicarbonates, which counteract blood acidification. Another nutritional characteristic of cranberry is definitely the antioxidant capacity due to the presence of pigments, which accumulate in the outer layers of the berries. A number of dietary supplements, sold in supermarkets, pharmacies and herbalist shops, are also made from cranberries.

THE JUICE OF MULTIPLE VIRTUES

Almost all cranberry drinks contain about 25 percent pure juice. Undiluted natural juice has a pH of at least 2.5, and without the addition of sugar the taste tends to be unpleasant to the palate. Cranberry juice blended with agave extract has an excellent reputation as a nutraceutical because of its nutritional components. A dose of 70 ml of juice is recommended to enjoy the beneficial effects of cranberry. Regular intake turns out to be an easy and tasty aid to counteract arterial degeneration and osteoporosis.

HEALTH PROPERTIES OF CRANBERRY EXTRACT

Indians used the cranberry both as a food and as a medicine. Sailors, on the other hand, consumed blueberries to fight scurvy. There are so many recognized healing properties of cranberry that it has interested so many medical and scientific studies. Blueberry berries protect and strengthen vessel walls due to the presence of anthocyanosides. In addition, these small fruits are rich in an antioxidant first discovered in grapes that plays an important role in reducing “bad” cholesterol. The tannites in cranberry act on bacteria. This mechanism helps prevent infection. It is bound to the proanthocyanidin subfraction that contains oligomers in which epicatechin units are bound together.

THE ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY OF ANTHOCYANINS

Anthocyani or anthocyanins are water-soluble plant pigments of the flavonoid family, found in plants in the form of glycosides. The production and quantity of flavonoid pigments, which are easily recognized in flowers, fruits, shrubs and leaves, depend on the type of plant and outdoor conditions. Anthocyanins are present in large amounts in fruits and inflorescences, but can also be found on leaves and roots. The color can vary from red to blue to violet, depending on the pH in the medium in which they are found and the formation of salts with heavy metals. Regarding antioxidant properties, anthocyanins are known for this characteristic and prevent cardiovascular disorders, obesity, inflammatory responses, and cancerous proliferations.

ROLE IN THE PREVENTION OF CHRONIC URINARY INFECTIONS

Cranberry is used as a natural antiseptic to prevent and treat urinary infections. Its benefits were initially attributed to urine acidification. Then, some researchers have shown that blueberry can inhibit bacterial adhesion to urinary epithelial cells. In 1998, Howell identified proanthocyandins as the active components of cranberry that can prevent the adhesion of fimbriae of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains to the urinary epithelium, protecting it from infection.

THE MECHANICAL PREVENTIVE ACTION OF PROANTHOCYANIDINS

In urinary tract infections, the bacteria colonize the colon, pass through the periurethral/vaginal zonus, and ascend the urinary tract, bringing an infection to the bladder and then to the kidneys. Cranberry proanthocyanidins help prevent infection and bacterial colonization.

Source: The Cranberry – A fruit that never ceases to amaze by Mediserve

Cranberry botanical fact sheet

20 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Taxonomy

Blueberry is the name for several wild shrub species in the genus vaccinium, including cranberry. These are semiligneous shrubs with oval leaves and white or pink pendulous flowers. The fruits, also known as blueberries, are a kind of berry. The genus vaccinium is divided into two subgenera and includes a total of 450 species, most of which live in the northern hemisphere with temperate and cold climates.

There is no shortage of blueberries in the mountains of tropical areas such as Madagascar, Hawaii, and Java. Bilberry, false blueberry, bog blueberry, and cranberry grow wild in Europe in forests and heaths up to 2,500 meters above sea level. For food distribution, giant blueberries with fruits twice the size of the wild species are usually cultivated.

The plant and the fruits

Vaccinium macrocarpon(i.e., cranberry) is a low-growing, upright developing plant. The shrub is characterized by small alternate oval leaves, with a bare stem at the bottom and full of branching at the top. The plant produces both vegetative and fruiting buds, and each fruiting bud can produce up to 7 flowers-most of these are formed from flowers on the shoots, but some berries also form from flowers on the end of horizontal branches. As for the leaves, their color is dark green during the growth period, and turns reddish brown during the dormant season. The fruits of the cultivated species are larger than those in the wild and consist of round red berries with a sour-tasting pulp.

The berries ripen in early fall and are harvested in October. Due to their hard skin they keep fresh for some time.

Source: The Cranberry – A fruit that never ceases to amaze by Mediserve

Cranberry in the kitchen

19 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

After harvest, cranberry fruits can be eaten fresh, dried or made into syrups or jams. Cranberries are used, therefore, for both sweet and savory preparations, and only 12 percent of the crop is consumed as fresh fruit. The American cranberry can be used by the food industry in the form of juice concentrate or dehydrated or frozen fruit. Cranberries available for food use vary in size, color and taste; in fact, there are sour ones and sweet and sour ones. The dried fruits are mainly used in the confectionery industry. The fresh fruits, on the other hand, are mainly used to make jams. They must be rinsed and cooked covered, as they tend to burst during cooking. The jam is used for tarts, cakes, puddings, muffins, cookies, and sweet and savory buns. Traditionally, sweet and sour cranberry sauce is used as an accompaniment to the Thanksgiving turkey. You can either prepare it at home or buy it ready-made at the supermarket.

Its sour flavor is in perfect combination with orange; in fact, a sauce made from these two fruits is used as a side dish for roast duck. The fresh fruit is also used to make sorbets, soufflés and fruit preserves. Frozen product, on the other hand, is a perfect base for jellies, sauces, syrups and ice cream. Cranberry is the star of American diets, as it is found in almost all bakery, ice cream, and beverage and liquor preparations. It is a popular ingredient in candy and gum, yogurt, and in the preparation of diet snacks. Fresh cranberry can also be eaten with fresh cheeses, added to wine, cream, fruit salads and on cakes.

Cranberries on the table for Thanksgiving

After Halloween, American homes change their look, witches and hollow pumpkins are set aside and decorated with wicker cornucopias filled with seasonal fruits, flowers and leaves. The Thanksgiving meal involves the whole family in preparations, lasts several hours, and is usually followed by hours of homemade lazing around with guests.

Lunch begins with the classic Thanksgiving prayer, and the menu is always rich and plentiful. The star of the show is the stuffed roast turkey, which requires at least 4 hours of cooking, during which time it must be continually doused with its own gravy so that the meat does not set. Its filling is made of bread crumbs and herbs, but each family customizes it with the addition of mushrooms or sausage. Taking pride of place is cranberry sauce, a sweet-and-sour jam made by boiling berries in water and sugar to a consistency somewhere between jelly and fruit compote. Culinary tradition also calls for mashed potatoes, homemade rolls filled with butter, a potato and walnut pie, and corn on the cob. The holiday dedicated to the family, and parades and American Football games are shown continuously on TV. It takes several days to use up the leftovers from the mega-lunch, and very often they are also distributed to guests in small take-away packages. After spending many hours in the kitchen, the hosts rest for a few days and bring only leftovers to the table. The day after Thanksgiving is also Black Friday, the day of bargain sales that officially begin a few days before Christmas.

Source: The Cranberry – A fruit that never ceases to amaze by Mediserve

Cranberry in the Thanksgiving Day tradition

19 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

The history of Thanksgiving Day is intertwined with that of the US. The New England colony was founded by the Pilgrim Fathers on November 11, 1620, when they reached the rocky shores of Massachusetts to freely profess their religious beliefs as Puritans. At first, life for the founding fathers was very hard, as they were caught unprepared by the American winter. It was too late to sow, the ground was frozen, and the settlers did not have enough food to live on. Half of the settlers died of starvation, and it was the local natives who helped them by feeding them wild turkeys, corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and berries. The charitable natives belonged to the Wampanoag tribe, who lived along the coasts of the villages that are now the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The Wampanoag moved many times a year to find food: in the spring they fished for salmon and herring, and at the end of the hunting season they took shelter inland in search of protection from the rains. From December to April they lived off the food they had procured in the previous months. After sharing with the surviving pilgrims the food supplies set aside for the winter, the Wampanoag taught them how to cultivate the land in the New World. the following year, following the first fall harvest, the settlers invited their native friends to a feast, with which they thanked God that they had survived. In 1623, settler governor William Bradford decided to commemorate that event by proclaiming Thanksgiving Day. Since that time this holiday has been remembered every year in the American country.

After the American Revolution, the first Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed by George Washington, November 26, 1789. Later, Abraham Lincoln set the date of Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November. Thanksgiving Day is the one national holiday that unites all Americans. It is very heartfelt and celebrated with religious services, family gatherings, and traditional meal reminiscent of the first Thanksgiving: turkey, corn, potatoes, pumpkins, and cranberry sauce are the foods that represent the settlers’ survival and today are the symbols of Thanksgiving.

THE CRANBERRY INSTITUTE FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE AMERICAN CRANBERRY

The Cranberry Institute is a nonprofit organization founded in 1951 to support cranberry growers and industry in strategic areas such as agriculture, health care and environmental research. The priority goal is to foster marketing and dissemination of cultural information about the American cranberry. Supporting members voluntarily fund the institute each in proportion to their earnings. All growers who enter into agreements with supporting members also become members, receiving updates on activities carried out by the institute. The Cranberry Institute board of directors consists of 9 members who are part of major cranberry industries.

Source: The Cranberry – A fruit that never ceases to amaze by Mediserve

Sweet, sour and savory recipes using Cranberry

19 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Although Italian cuisine has a wide variety of dishes, surely expanding with cranberry products might be an idea. This ingredient is still unknown to us, as it is mainly used in American culinary tradition. The basic element of the Mediterranean diet and the simplicity of the dishes is not covered in America, where almost every dish is seasoned with sauces that cover the flavor of the food being cooked. Cranberry, however, thanks to its natural flavor will be able to win over even the most discerning palates.

Cranberry sauce

This is a traditional sauce that accompanies stuffed roast turkey.

Ingredients for 12 people:

450 g fresh cranberries

200 g of brown sugar

240 ml of water

Recipe

Rinse the blueberries, removing the stems. Heat the water in a saucepan and add the sugar, waiting for it to dissolve completely. When the water begins to boil, pour in the blueberries. Adjust the heat so that the water continues to boil and cook until all the blueberries burst. Other ingredients such as orange peel, cinnamon, rosemary and cloves can also be added during boiling. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool. It is necessary to rest in the refrigerator overnight before using the sauce.

Cranberry Holiday Bread

Fruit bread is typical for the festivities of the New Year. It is allowed to rest for a couple of days so that all the flavors blend well together.

Ingredients for 1,500-gram bread:

460 g of sifted flour

200 g of white granulated sugar

4 teaspoons of yeast

1 teaspoon salt

Lemon or orange zest

1 large egg

56 g of melted butter

1 sachet of vanillin

360 ml of milk

120 g of cranberries

90 g of candied peel

60 g toasted and chopped almonds

Recipe

In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest. In a bowl, process the beaten egg, melted butter, milk, and vanillin. Mix together the liquid and dry ingredients, incorporate the fruit and almonds, and finally pour the mixture into a bread mold. Bake in a preheated oven at 160-170 °C for 70 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Roasted pumpkin with cranberries and sage

Roasted pumpkin with the tart flavor of cranberry berries are the perfect combination for the winter season.

Ingredients for 4 persons:

1 kg hulled pumpkin

1 medium white onion

Dried cranberries

Dried sage

Coarse salt

Oil

Recipe

Let the cranberries soak in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes. Drain them and set them aside. Cut the squash into cubes and the onion into slices so that it can reach the cooking point at the same time. Place the squash and onion in a bowl and season with the oil and cranberries. Season with sage and salt. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 30 minutes.

Cranberries Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is a typical American dessert that never fails on Thanksgiving. The dessert is served with ice cream or whipped cream.

Ingredients for 4 persons:

100 g of cranberries

120 g of white granulated sugar

250 g of pumpkin pulp

3 eggs

1 dl semi-fat cream

Butter

1 roll of shortcrust pastry

Recipe

Mix cranberries with 20 g sugar in a bowl. Grate the pumpkin pulp and pour the eggs, cream, and remaining sugar into the same bowl. Beat well with electric mixer and mix in pumpkin pulp. Grease the mold and roll out the shortcrust pastry. Pour the mixture over the dough and distribute the cranberries. Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 45 minutes.

Cranberries Muffins

Muffins are very similar to plume cakes and were originally made with cornmeal. It is a classic American breakfast dessert.

Ingredients for 10 muffins:

2 handfuls of cranberries

250 g of flour

100 g of sugar

2 eggs

100 g butter

1 sachet of baking powder

1 glass of whole milk

Recipe

In a container, process the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and pour in the flour and baking powder a little at a time. Add the milk and cranberries and continue stirring. Pour the mixture into 10 buttered molds and bake at 180 °C for about 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate Cookies with Cranberries

Chocolate chip cookies are a great idea to bake something tasty and add an unusual twist with cranberries.

Ingredients:

113 g of butter

150 g of sugar

2 eggs

1 yolk

1 sachet of vanillin

245 g of flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 pinch of salt

45 g of cocoa powder

50 g of cranberries

90 g of white chocolate chips

Recipe

Whip the butter and sugar and vanillin until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix. In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Incorporate the butter from top to bottom and incorporate the cranberries and white chocolate. Pour the dough onto a flat surface, divide it in half and make a roll about 25 cm long from each half. Arrange the two rolls on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes in a preheated oven at 170 °C.

Cream Cheese Cake and Cranberries

This dessert is very simple to prepare and is usually served with a sauce on the side.

Ingredients for 6-8 people:

For the crust:

100 g of GRHAM crackers crumbs

50 g of ginger cookies

30 g of sugar

80 g of melted butter

For the filling:

227 g of cream cheese

50 g of caster sugar

1 sachet of vanillin

240 ml whipped cream

For the sauce:

300 g of raspberries

200 g fresh cranberries

100 g of sugar

1 tablespoon of masi starch

Lemon or orange zest

Recipe

Crust:

Mix crumbled cookies, sugar, and melted butter. Place the mixture on the bottom and sides of a buttered baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Stuffing:

Whip the cheese for the sugar and vanillin. In a separate bowl, whip the cream and incorporate it, mixing from the bottom up. Using a spoon, spread the filling on the crust and chill overnight.

Cranberry and raspberry sauce:

Mix all ingredients together and cook until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Pear, apple and cranberries crumble

The characteristic feature of this cake is the topping resting on a fresh fruit compote. It is served with cream or vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients for 6 persons:

For the topping:

105 g of flour

155 g of brown sugar

½ teaspoon of cinnamon

¼ teaspoon of salt

70 g of oatmeal

40 g of chopped walnuts

113 g of butter

For the fruit compote:

30-55 g of brown sugar

½ tablespoon of wheat starch

680 g honey

680 g red pears

Recipe

Topping:

Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, oatmeal and nuts. Mix the butter with the help of a whisk until you get pea-sized crumbs.

Stuffing:

In a bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Peel the pears and apples, cut them into chunks and mix them with the cranberries in the sugar-starch mixture. When the mixture is well blended, pour it into the cake pan and spread the prepared crumble mixture. Bake in a 190 °C oven for 35-45 minutes.

Cranberry Jam

Cranberry jam is the best way to enjoy this fruit all year round. It can be enjoyed on its own or to accompany desserts or roasted meats.

Ingredients for 6 persons:

1 kg of fresh cranberries

400 g white sugar

400 g of brown sugar

Juice and peel of one orange

Cinnamon

Cloves

Candied orange peel

Recipe

Wash the berries and to dry them on a cotton cloth. Grate the orange peel and squeeze out the juice. Place the cranberries, the two kinds of sugar and the orange juice in a saucepan. Add the cinnamon and cloves. Cranberries jam is ready when the berries split, so it is important to pay attention to the cooking point. Pour the still-boiling jam into sterilized jars, cap them tightly and invert until cool.

Candied cranberries

Candied Cranberries are soft and sweet, excellent to use with their syrup to garnish cakes and desserts. The syrup can be used to wet sponge cake and to give color to frostings.

Ingredients for 6 persons:

200 g of cranberries

250 g of sugar

180 ml of water

Recipe

Arrange the cranberries in a steel bowl to be placed in turn in a steaming pot filled with 2 inches of water and brought slowly to a boil. Bring the sugar-water syrup to a boil and pour it over the fruits. Cover with a plate and add enough weight to keep it steady while boiling. Steam the berries for about 45 minutes and allow to cool. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave the berries for 3-4 days at room temperature until they become gelatinous.

Source: The Cranberry – A fruit that never ceases to amaze by Mediserve

Cranberry: the bacterial anti-adhesive capacity of type A proanthocyanidins

20 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

Type A proanthocyanidins are molecules in the polyphenol family, consisting of multiple flavin units. They possess high oxidizing power, so much so that they have antibacterial action.

Cranberry is a fruit that possesses a high amount of PAC type A, and the components alone possess anti-adhesive activity. There are many cranberry dietary supplements with a high concentration of PAC that hinder the adhesion and infection of germs responsible for urinary infections. The pathogen is unable to adhere to the mucosa because the wall receptors are already occupied by PAC molecules.

The
National Kidney Foundation
recommends drinking one glass of cranberry juice drink per day so as to prevent urinary infections.

Source: The Cranberry – A fruit that never ceases to amaze by Mediserve

Cranberry in the costume and history of America

19 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

A POPULAR AND BELOVED FRUIT

Starting on the North East Coast, the passion for the cranberry has spread throughout the US. The cranberry has experienced great popularity in recent years due to consumer awareness of the beneficial health effects of consuming antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. During Thanksgiving, there is an accompanying gravy and bread filling within the menu. Ripe cranberry fruits are harvested between October and November, and during these weeks on the Cranberry Harvest roads, the red fruit is the main feature for events, festivals and food tourism itineraries. Tourists visiting the farms are struck by a sea of cranberry berries.

INDUSTRIAL PROCESSING

The history of industrial cranberry processing begins in the 1800s in Massachusetts.

Today cranberry is grown in several states in North America and Canada and is intended for various industrial processing. It is a very versatile fruit, mainly processed in the food industry, but it can also be found in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The fragrance of the red fruit is also used in the manufacture of tobacco, candles and environmental fragrances.

Source: The Cranberry – A fruit that never ceases to amaze by Mediserve

Drinking cranberry

18 February 20246 January 2024 by Redazione My Special Doctor

So many cocktails imported from the United States contain cranberry juice. The alcohol content is variable, depending on the ingredients each bartender offers. Classic cocktail standards are those approved by the IBA (International Bartender Association).

Cape Code High Ball

Ingredients:

3/10 of vodka

7/10 cranberry juice

Decorate with lime wedge.

It is the progenitor of a family of cocktails dedicated to the scents of the CAPE CODE peninsula. Along the very long beach one can find abundant cranberries. It is a sweet cocktail and simple to make. It is served in a tall glass filled with ice.

Sex on the beach

Ingredients

3/10 vodka

1/10 peach liqueur

3/10 orange juice

3/10 cranberry juice

Very tasty drink, very fruity and quite acidic. Preparing it is simple in fact you have to shake the vodka, peach liqueur and orange juice for a few seconds and pour it into a glass filled with ice. Finally, add a teaspoon of cranberry juice and decorate with an orange slice.

Cosmopolitan

Ingredients:

5/10 of vodka

2/10 cointreau

2/10 cranberry juice

1/10 of lemon juice

The basis of cosmopolitan is vodka with cranberry juice. There are several variations of the cocktail in which cointreau, triple sec, lime juice or lime juice can be combined in different proportions. The alcohol content is mitigated by blueberry juice.

Megapolitan

Ingredients:

2/5of vanilla vodka

2/5 of cointreau

1/5 lime juice

1/5 of cranberry juice

The megapolitan is Miami’s variation of the cosmopolitan. He has had a lot of success with the series “SEX AND CITY.” It is Madonna’s favorite drink and is served in the martini glass

Sea breeze

Ingredients:

1/5 vodka

2/5 cranberry juice

2/5 grapefruit juice

1 shot of lime juice

1 tablespoon of sugar

It is the drier variant of the Cape Code. It is mostly drunk as a December 25 aperitif and is decorated with a sprig of cranberry.

Suggestion: accompany with salmon croutons

Cranberry Martini

Ingredients:

7/10 dry gin

2/10 dry martini

1/10 cranberry juice

Lemon wedge

It is necessary to moisten the rim of the martini cup and gently rest it in the caster sugar. Next put all the ingredients in the mixing glass, let the contents cool and serve in the with a squeeze of last of lemon.

Source: The Cranberry – A fruit that never ceases to amaze by Mediserve

Cranberry: an aid against antibiotic resistance?

15 February 20246 January 2024 by rosanna.feroldi

Antibiotic resistance continues to grow globally, and in Italy, the situation is among the most severe in Europe, with many fearsome bacteria now unassailable by most available antibiotics. According to data from theEuropean Center for Diseases Prevention and Control (ECDC), our country accounts for 1/3 of all deaths (10,000 deaths/year) related to antibiotic resistance on the European territory: in the EU/EAA area, a situation of similar severity affects only Greece, Croatia, Bulgaria and Hungary.

In addition to recommending that fewer and better antibiotics be used on the market to preserve their effectiveness and trying to identify new drugs that are more active against bacteria (long, complex, and rarely successful work), researchers are testing the possibility of enhancing the action of current antibiotics or restore their bacteriostatic/bactericidal activity by combining them with other compounds.

Among such strategies that could help overcome the problem is one based on a protein found in the inviting red berries of the cranberry: plant also known as “American cranberry” or “American oxycock” and has long been exploited for its favorable action against inflammation of the female lower urinary tract (in addition to any specific therapy indicated by the doctor).

In particular, a study published in Advance Science indicates that the pro-anthocyanidin protein (c-PAC) contained in cranberry is able to interfere with two important resistance mechanisms developed by pathogenic microorganisms: selective membrane permeability, which allows bacteria to not absorb or to absorb in minimal amounts the antibiotic that should kill them; and active “pumping” outward from the bacterial cell of antibiotic molecules that have already been absorbed, before they can do damage. By reducing the effectiveness of these two defensive mechanisms, c-PAC would have the effect of increasing the response to antibiotics by pathogenic microorganisms.

L’protective effect of c-PAC has been shown in in vitro and in vivo tests on some of the bacteria most dangerous to human health in case of infection and most frequently resistant to available drugs, such as Escherichia coli (mainly responsible for severe and life-threatening gastrointestinal infections, especially in children, the elderly, and people with reduced immune defenses), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (the cause of difficult-to-fight airway, urinary, and eye infections, severe otitis, endocarditis, and often fatal septicemia); and Proteus mirabilis (mainly at the origin of severe urinary tract infections).

In the case of E. coli and P. aeruginosa, c-PAC has been shown not only to prevent the development of tetracycline resistance, but also to reduce the tendency of these bacteria to form biofilms on the surface of target organs. The formation of biofilms, i.e., dense and compact patches of bacteria tightly adhered to mucous membranes and interacting with each other, is a colonization mechanism that microorganisms use to increase their ability to survive, reducing the ability of drugs to attack and kill them. Hindering biofilm formation, therefore, amounts to making bacteria more isolated and fragile.

Whether this initial evidence can be converted into a combination drug containing an antibiotic and the cranberry protein remains to be evaluated, but the avenue opened is certainly interesting and gives cause for hope.

Source

Maisuria VB et al. Proanthocyanidin Interferes with Intrinsic Antibiotic Resistance Mechanisms of Gram-Negative Bacteria. Advance Science 2019; doi:10.1002/advs.201802333 (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/advs.201802333)