Originally published on 8/27/2013
Academics from Musselburgh’s Queen Margaret University have used the berries from an invasive thorny plant to create a new Scottish superfruit drink.
Scientists based at the Craighall Campus have worked with an artisan juice producer to develop a seasonal drink using berries from Sea Buckthorn, a bush which is often regarded as a weed.
Working with Cuddybridge, a small Scottish hand-pressed apple juice producer, the university has produced a Sea Buckthorn and apple juice combination which has been proven to be high in antioxidants.
Those behind the project say it was built on previous nutritional analysis and claim it confirms that Sea Buckthorn – bursting with antioxidants, vitamins and essential minerals – is truly a Scottish superfruit. The Scots have not yet exploited the nutritional benefits of Sea Buckthorn due to the problems associated with its harvesting and the often bitter taste of the berries.
The concentration of vitamin C in the fruit is higher than that in strawberry, kiwi, orange, tomato and carrot, while the vitamin E content is higher than that found in wheat embryo, safflower, maize and soybean.
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** SeabuckthornInsider Note – There seems to be an awful lot of sea buckthorn activity in Scotland lately! They’re a little behind with the rest of Europe. It’s been around for a very long time. Even Ancient Greece marveled about it. It’s great that they’re seeing its potential though. If only they’d stop talking about using it as a drink/juice and realize how precious the oils are!