Wild blueberries for the people of Lac Saint Jean

Blueberries, these tiny blue-black berries with a slightly tart taste, have become Canada's most exported fruit. In fact, thousands of hectares of wild blueberries grow naturally near Lac Saint Jean and neighboring regions of Quebec.

Blueberries are globular, fleshy, tiny berries 6-10 millimeters long, blue-black in color, with a crown at the top. Indeed, the famous and tasty wild blueberries from Canada develops in autumn from the flowers of a small dwarf shrub with green shoots.

And when the cornflower is in bloom, it presents discrete, pendulous flowers, grouped in pairs, with a reddish-white corolla. It blooms in spring, and blueberries usually ripen in mid to late summer.

For the consumer, the most notable difference between wild boreal blueberries and cultivated probably lies in the nutritional content. Not only can you get more servings of fruit from wild blueberries, but you also get more nutrition.

According to research, the nutritional value of wild blueberries contains twice as many antioxidants as cultivated blueberries. This thanks to its higher concentration of anthocyanin and a flavonoid.

In fact, this strong concentration developed when they adapted to the harsh climate of Lac Saint Jean. The hardiness required to survive these climates makes wild blueberries from Quebec naturally richer in anthocyanins.

There are several ways to consume these succulent fruits: dried, mashed, juice, concentrated, frozen, etc. Indeed, its suppliers transform them into different forms in order to meet the specific needs of each.

Widely consumed as a juice, it is one of the healthiest and most antioxidant-rich drinks in the world. This now popular drink offers many benefits when it is included in a diet.

If the wild blueberry juice may attract attention due to its striking color and rather striking intensity, however, it stands out much more for its high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

With that said, let's highlight the main benefits of including it in our daily diet, no matter how it is sold:

• Protection of the brain;
• Prevention against urinary tract infections;
• Helps fight against hypertension;
• Antioxidants improve memory;
• Slows down depression.

The Covid 19 pandemic has generated significant growth in demand for the types of foods that have positive health attributes. Since then, wild blueberries have experienced strong demand and suppliers expect their production to increase in the coming months.

Consequently, this growth in demand makes it possible to predict an increase in wild blueberry price in the near future.