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Last updated: 06 June, 2005

Raspberries and their health benefits

	Rubus idaeus
The first mention of the raspberry was in 45AD when it was described as "Ida", after the mountain they were found growing on. The raspberry section of Rubus probably evolved in East Asia where more than 200 species are known.

The culture of raspberries is thought to have begun around 1629 when selections were made for larger fruit and by 1800, selection for better varieties became more popular. The Scottish raspberry industry got started at the beginning of the twentieth century when a group of market gardeners in Angus decided to move from strawberry to raspberry production and joined together as a co-operative. Raspberry production in Scotland has been supported by breeding work at the Scottish Crop Research Institute which has been successful in developing new raspberry varieties with desirable characteristics suited to the Scottish climate. These include improved flavour, yield, disease resistance and nutritional qualities. The raspberry acreage in Scotland has declined in recent years but an increased market for fresh raspberries could halt or even reverse this trend in the future.

Nutrition information for raspberries are shown below

Raspberry nutritional information

Nutrient	Amount (per 100g)	UK recommended daily intake

Water	86 - 87 g
Energy	25 - 27 kcal	2000kcal (women) 2500 kcal (men)
Protein	0.91 - 1.4 g
Fat	0.3 - 0.55 g
Carbohydrate	4.6 g
Glucose	1.9 g
Fructose	2.4 g
Fibre	2.5 - 3 g
Vitamin A	1 microgram	800 micrograms
Folate	32 - 33 micrograms	200 micrograms
Vitamin C	24 - 32 milligrams	60 milligrams
Vitamin E	0.48 milligrams
Potassium	170 -187 milligrams
Iron	0.6 - 0.7 milligrams

There are also other compounds contained in raspberries which are not classified as nutrients but which are believed to be beneficial to human health. These are called phenolic compounds and they are known to be powerful antioxidants in the laboratory. Therefore they could help to neutralise free radicals in the body that are often blamed for initiating and speeding up the disease processes involved in heart disease and cancer. In addition to their antioxidant activity, the phenolic compounds in raspberries could have other disease protective properties for example, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, anti-thrombotic and the ability to alter enzyme activities. They also have potential anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-allergic actions. More research is required to find out to what extent these compounds are absorbed and metabolised by humans and what their effects are in the body.

Levels of various phenolic compounds found in raspberries
Note: different varieties, growing and storage conditions can significantly influence the levels of these compounds.

Compound	Amount (in mg per 100g)	Sources

Total phenolics	113 - 512	Liu et al 2002, de Ancos et al 2000, Heinonen et al 1998

Total anthocyanins	20 - 220	Washington Red Raspberry Commission, Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission, Deighton et al 2000, Heinonen et al 1998, de Ancos et al 2000

Total flavonols	1.9	Heinonen et al 1998
-quercetin	1	Hakkinen et al 2000

Ellagic acid	20.8 - 47	Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission, de Ancos et al 2000

Hydroxycinnamates	0.3	Heinonen et al 1998

Salicylic Acid	5	Washington Red Raspberry Commission

Recently published research on the health benefits of raspberries:

Researchers at the University of Glasgow analysed extracts of Glen Ample raspberries using a sensitive method - gradient, reverse phase HPLC with diode array and tandem mass spectrometry. They found that the major phenolic compounds in Glen Ample raspberries were the anthocyanins (e.g. cyanidin-3-sophoroside, cyanidin-3-(2-glucosylrutinoside) and cyanidin-3-glucoside) and the ellagitannins (sanguiin H-6 and lambertianin C). Smaller levels of flavonol conjugates were also found. Vasodilation assays were carried out on fractions containing anthocyanins and ellagitannins. In this study, raspberry fractions associated with the presence of ellagitannins were found to be potent vasodilators of rabbit aortic vessels. Mullen et al 2002 J Agric Food Chem 50:5191-5196

Researchers at the University of Glasgow also looked at the storage effects on Scottish raspberries (Glen Ample variety). They found that freezing had no major effect on the antioxidant capacity of the fruit and neither did storage conditions similar to that of the supermarket supply chain. They concluded that freshly picked, fresh commercial and frozen raspberries all contain similar levels of phytochemicals and antioxidants per serving. Mullen et al 2002 J Agric Food Chem 50:5197-5201

Four raspberry varieties (Heritage, Kiwigold, Goldie, Anne) were analysed for total antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities. The colour of the berries correlated well with the level of phenolic compounds with darker berries containing the most. The proliferation of human liver cancer cells were significantly inhibited in a dose dependent manner after exposure to all types of raspberry extracts. Liu et al 2002 J Agric Food Chem 50:2926-2930

The antioxidant capacities of a number of Rubus species were investigated. The antioxidant capacities of the fruits ranged from 0 to 25.3 micromoles (Trolox equivalents) per gram, and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) was found to contribute less than 10% to the antioxidant potential of Rubus. There was an apparent linear relationship between antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content. Deighton et al 2000 J Sci Food Agric 80: 1307-1313

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Raspberries and their health benefits

Raspberry nutritional information

Levels of various phenolic compounds found in raspberries