Blackberry Powder – Organic Freeze Dried

Blackberry Powder has a rich flavor and vibrant color, made from carefully dried and ground blackberries. This versatile ingredient brings a naturally sweet and tangy taste to smoothies, teas, baked goods, jams, and more. With its deep purple hue and fruity aroma, blackberry powder adds both flavor and visual appeal to your favorite recipes. Perfect for mixing into beverages or sprinkling into culinary creations, it’s a convenient way to enjoy the essence of ripe blackberries year-round.

Organic Freeze-Dried Blackberry Powder

Modern research confirms the importance of adding a variety of foods with bright, vibrant colors that contain a wide range of potent polyphenolic compounds to support the repair process from the damage caused by stress, helping to create a more balanced internal environment.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that blackberries are nutritional powerhouses that contain a wide array of unique compounds and are known for their deep, rich, and vibrant colors that profoundly affect human health. It is essential to understand that to get protection through the nourishing qualities that berries provide; you would need to consume them in a wide array and daily. This can only occur through some level of supplementation.  

However, to understand the benefits of all the nourishing compounds found in fresh or freeze-dried blackberries, it is first essential to discuss the concept of synergy. The primary principle behind synergy is understanding that the whole is greater than the sum of its simple parts. 

When applying this concept to blackberries, knowing that the potent compounds in blackberries have a broader spectrum and nourishing effect than any individual compound within that food is essential. When eaten as a whole food, you consume the full spectrum of these compounds, which works very differently than consuming an isolated standardized compound from this food. Therefore, consuming blackberries in their whole food form provides more potent nourishment.

The power of Flavinoids

Many health experts believe a diet focused on high amounts of flavonoids is critical to supporting a healthy aging process because these compounds are known as nature’s biological response modifiers.

There are over 8,000 different types of flavonoids found in nature. Based on the research, it does not seem to matter if you acquire them from food or supplements; what counts is the total daily amount you consume.

These experts believe we should consume at least 2000 milligrams of flavonoids daily sourced from various foods and supplements. 

A randomized controlled trial discussing how flavonoid-rich foods improve microvascular reactivity and inflammatory status in men at risk for cardiovascular disease showed the following.

• The HF F&V diet increased endothelium-dependent microvascular reactivity
• Reduced C-reactive protein and vascular cell adhesion molecule
• HF F&Vs increased plasma NO in the group as a whole.

Therefore, the following was concluded: “These data support recommendations to increase F&V intake to ≥ 6 portions daily, with additional benefit from F&Vs rich in flavonoids, particularly in men with an increased risk of CVD.”

1) Polyphenols

Polyphenols are a term used to describe a general category of compounds found in a broad spectrum of fruits, vegetables, and tea that work as “reducing agents” along with other compounds known as antioxidants to support a healthy inflammation response and the body’s ability to protect and repair damaged tissue caused by oxidative stress. While over 8,000 polyphenols have been identified, some of the most common are flavonoids, flavonols, and anthocyanins. The importance of discussing these various compounds allows you to more clearly understand the wide range and complexity of nourishment you are getting from these powerful foods.

2) Flavonoids 

Flavonoids are a group of water-soluble polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants thought to provide health benefits through cell signaling (The process when a cell responds to a substance outside the cell through signaling molecules found on the surface of that cell) and antioxidant effects.

Secondary metabolites are substances manufactured by plants that make them compete in their environment, exerting a wide range of effects on the plant itself and the surrounding living organisms, including flowing, fruit setting, signal deciduous behavior, and acting as antimicrobials.

Over 50,000 secondary metabolites have been discovered, and many modern medicines rely on them for their mechanism of action. There are six major subclasses of flavonoids: Anthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, flavanones, flavones, and isoflavones. These account for around 60% of all polyphenols. 

3) Flavonols 

Flavonols are polyphenols belonging to the flavonoid family with a ketone group studied for their wide range of biological activities (antioxidant, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, modulating inflammation, and vasodilation).

They primarily accumulate in the outer tissues (skin and leaves) of fruits and vegetables, are the building blocks of proanthocyanins (compounds that are attributed to the colors of fruits and vegetables), and are most widespread in the human diet.

4) Anthocyanins

Anthocyanins are a part of the flavonoid family of polyphenolic compounds. They represent the pigments that exhibit the bright red, purple, and blue colors found in fruits and vegetables. The six most common are Cyanidins, Delphinidins, Malvidins, Peonidins, Petunidins, and Pelargonidins.

The above four general categories of plant compounds are the primary reason we should consume a wide array of berries in our diet. These various classes of compounds are what create the powerful healing aspects that berries provide.

Powered vs. Fresh: Are There Benefits of Consuming Freeze-Dried Blackberry Powder?

Thanks to modern technology in food preservation, not only can we extend the shelf life of food without adding preservatives and chemicals, but we can also create an end product that is highly versatile and as nutrient-dense as the fresh version.

As stated above, the idea that we can’t replace fresh food with a powder to nourish our bodies is untrue. There are many significant advantages to using powders, especially blackberries. While there are many natural ways to dry foods and preserve their nutritional qualities, including low temperature, shade, air, sun, and freeze-drying, the quality of the raw materials predominantly determines the final product.

Ultimately, preserving the incredibly nourishing qualities found in blackberries is best obtained through freeze-drying.

There are three primary advantages to using a freeze-drying method.

• Freeze drying creates the closest end product when presenting a whole food complex.
• Freeze drying a food presents closest to the smell, taste, and texture of the fresh version of a food.
• Freeze-dried foods allow you to customize your needs when creating a product, and freeze-dried berries can be left whole, chopped, or milled into a powder. All of these will still offer the nutritional value that comes from fresh produce.

Because berries perish quicker than most foods, this method preserves their structure and integrity and significantly extends their shelf life. The shelf life of any food or product is directly linked to its moisture content. A freeze-dried product has an average of only 3% or less moisture content. So, freeze drying allows for greater versatility of the end product due to more accessible storage options and blending capability and supports the natural flavor profile of the fresh food version.

A survey of various berries’ antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition concluded that blackberries took second place on the winner’s podium for having exceptionally high levels of anthocyanidins and proanthocyanins.

Blackberries: A Delicious Source of Fiber 

Blackberries represent a high-quality source of fiber, as one cup contains a whopping 8 grams. Per 100 grams, blackberries contain around 34 grams of insoluble fiber and 3 grams of soluble fiber. Blackberries are a food commonly used to produce jellies and jams as they are a rich source of pectin. On average, they contain just under 1% pectin levels compared to the king of pectin: apples. Pectin, a naturally occurring polysaccharide starch from plant cell walls, is an excellent alternative to gelatin and can be used in various recipes, from jams and jellies to sauces and soups.

The following was stated in a study looking at the effects of blackberry (Morus nigra L.) consumption on serum concentration of lipoproteins, apo A-I, apo B, and high-sensitivity-C-reactive protein and blood pressure in dyslipidemic patients.

• At week 8 in the intervention group, apo A-I and HDL increased significantly (P = 0.015, P = 0.001, respectively), and apo B and hs-CRP decreased significantly (P = 0.044, P = 0.04, respectively).
• Mean changes in apo A-I and HDL and apo B/apo A-I ratio were significant between the groups (P = 0.005, P = 0.014, and P = 0.009, respectively).
• After eight weeks, there was a significant difference between the groups’ hs-CRP mean values (P = 0.01).
• At week 8, SBP decreased significantly (P = 0.005) in the intervention group, with no significant differences in SBP mean values between the groups.

Therefore, it was concluded that “Blackberry consumption may exert beneficial effects on apolipoproteins, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers in individuals with lipid disorders.”

Summary of Important Information

Z Natural Foods hand-picks specific ingredients for our customers based on three concepts to provide the best quality product possible to support optimal well-being.

• Versatility
• History of safe and effective usage
• Strong evidence of positive research outcomes in humans

Synergy 

• The primary principle behind synergy is understanding that the whole is greater than the sum of its simple parts.
• When applying this concept to foods like berries, it is essential to know that the potent compounds in various berries have a broader spectrum and nourishing effect than any individual compound within that mixture.
• When eaten as a whole food matrix, no particular compound works alone.
  Therefore, combining a wide variety of berries will provide more potent nourishment than consuming an isolated standardized compound.

Blackberries possess unique qualities and compounds for various health purposes; they all fall under (at some level) four general categories of plant compounds.

• Polyphenols, found in a wide variety of plant-based foods, are compounds that work alongside antioxidants to support the body’s inflammatory response and protect against oxidative stress-induced tissue damage.
• Flavonols, a type of polyphenol in the flavonoid family, are widely studied for their diverse health benefits, found primarily in the outer tissues of fruits and vegetables, and serve as the foundation for compounds responsible for plant coloration while being ubiquitous in human diets.
• Anthocyanins, a subset of flavonoid polyphenols, are responsible for the vibrant red, purple, and blue hues in fruits and vegetables, with six primary types commonly found in nature.
• Flavonoids, water-soluble plant compounds, are believed to offer health benefits through their antioxidant properties and ability to influence cellular communication processes.

Essential to note 

Health experts emphasize the importance of a flavonoid-rich diet for healthy aging, recommending a daily intake of 500 to 2000 milligrams from various sources, including foods and supplements.

With over 8,000 types of flavonoids found in nature, the USDA Database for flavonoid content serves as a reliable resource for determining the content in different foods, although individual results may vary based on various factors.

Powered vs. Fresh: Are There Benefits of Consuming Freeze-Dried Blackberry Powder?

There are three primary advantages to using a freeze-drying method:

• Freeze drying creates the closest end product when presenting a whole food complex. 
• Freeze drying a food presents closest to the smell, taste, and texture of the fresh version of a food.
• Freeze-dried foods allow you to customize your needs when creating a product, and freeze-dried berries can be left whole, chopped, or milled into a powder. All of which will still offer the nutritional value that comes from the fresh version.

Taste, smell, texture, and color may vary from batch to batch: Due to its nature, this powder tends to clump. If clumping occurs, lay the bag on a flat surface and place a towel over the bag. Then pound on the bag until the clumps break up. The towel will help protect the bag from damage. Push as much air as possible before sealing the pouch and store in the refrigerator or freezer to further reduce clumping.

Suggested Use: Mix one tablespoon with juice and yogurt, or add to your favorite smoothie or recipes.

Mixing suggestion: To increase flavor and nutritional profile, combined with our organic blueberry, strawberry, and raspberry powders.

Miscellaneous Facts about our raw, organic, freeze-dried Blackberry Powder

Certifications: Certified USDA Organic.

Ingredients: Organic Freeze-Dried Blackberry Fruit.

Parts Used: Whole Blackberry.

Botanical Name: Rubus fruticosus.

Other Names: Scaldhead, Himalayan blackberry, brambles.

Origin: Grown and dried in Chile and packaged with care in Florida, USA.