Aronia berries, raw (frozen), organic?

Raw aronia berries ( Aronia melanocarpa L.) are dark purple, almost black berries with a high anthocyanin content. They are rarely available fresh, but you can also find them frozen or dried in organic quality.

Use in the kitchen

Raw, fresh aronia berries taste tart and slightly bitter. They are similar in shape and colorto blueberries, blackcurrants, blackthorn and acai.

Can you eat aronia berries raw? Aronia berries are suitable for eating fresh, for example in fruit salad or in muesli (eg in pea muesli). Since the seeds contain amygdalin, which the body converts into hydrogen cyanide, you should only eat small portions. Therefore, as a precaution, you should also avoid mixing large quantities of raw aronia berries, e.g. for a smoothie. Heating makes amygdalin largely harmless. ¹³

Aronia berries are mainly used to make jam, jelly, juice and chutney. The whole berries also taste delicious in cakes or muffins, where they can be combined well withraspberries and blackberries.

Dried aronia berries are a great snack and can be used to make energy balls or nut and dried fruit mixes. Aronia berry juice can easily be boiled down to make syrup or it can be used to make wine and liqueur. Aronia berry juice is increasingly being processed industrially, often together with other fruit juices.

Vegan recipe for aronia jam

Ingredients (for 3 servings): 500 g raw aronia berries, 250 g gelling sugar 2:1, 4 tbsp lemon juice, sterile jars.

Preparation: Wash the aronia berries and remove the stems. Put the berries in a large pot and mash them with a potato masher (or similar) to release the juice. Add the gelling sugar and lemon juice and mix well. Bring the mixture to the boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. As soon as the mixture boils, reduce the heat. Simmer the jam over medium heat for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Do a gelling test: Take a teaspoon of jam and put it on a cold plate. If the jam gels, it is ready. If it is still liquid, you should let it simmer for a few minutes longer. Pour the hot mixture into sterile screw-top jars and seal immediately. Turn the jars upside down for 10 minutes. This should increase the shelf life.

Vegan recipes with aronia berries (raw) can be found under the note: " Recipes that have the most of this ingredient ".

Purchasing - Storage

You can hardly buy fresh aronia berries at major retailers such as Coop, Migros, Denner, Volg, Spar, Aldi, Lidl, Rewe, Edeka, Hofer and Billa. Organic supermarkets such as Denn's Biomarkt and Alnatura also do not have fresh aronia berries in their standard range.

Fresh aronia berries can sometimes be found seasonally at weekly markets or in farm shops. There are a few smaller companies in the DA-CH region from which you can buy fresh aronia berries directly. Dried aronia berries, aronia berry juice, aronia powder and frozen aronia berries are often available from major retailers and organic supermarkets.

The availability of aronia berries varies depending on the size of the store, catchment area, etc. Our recorded food prices for the DA-CH countries can be found above under the ingredient image - and by clicking you can see their development at various suppliers.

Storage tips

Fresh aronia berries should be stored in the refrigerator. This increases their shelf life. Aronia berries are firm and hard-shelled even when fully ripe and can be kept for up to four months at 0 to 2 °C. ⁶

The berries can also be easily frozen or gently dried at low temperatures.

Ingredients - Nutritional values ​​- Calories

The following values ​​come from frozen aronia berries. Studies show that the nutrients in frozen berries are comparable to fresh berries. The vitamin C content is usually a little higher than in fresh fruit. However, the beta-carotene content (provitamin A) is lower in frozen berries than in fresh berries. ⁴

100 g of raw, frozen aronia berries (organic) have an energy content of 49 kcal. They are almost fat-free and contain very little protein (0.30 g/100g). The carbohydrate content is 11 g/100g, of which 5.6 g is sugar. They contain 4.1 gof fiber per 100 g of berries. ¹

Aronia berries are rich in vitamin C (ascorbic acid) with 81 mg/100g. This corresponds to 102% of the daily requirement. Green bell peppers (80 mg), Brussels sprouts (85 mg), broccoli (89 mg) and kiwi (93 mg) have a similar vitamin C content per 100g. Blackcurrants (181 mg/100g) and sea buckthorn (450 mg/100g) are particularly rich in vitamin C. ²

Vitamin A, as RAE, is contained in 100 g of berries at 192 µg, which corresponds to around 24% of the daily requirement. ¹ Galia melon (196 µg/100g), cantaloupe melon (169 µg/100g) and red bell peppers (157 µg/100g) have similar values. Good sources of vitamin A are carrots (835 µg/100g) and kale (500 µg/100g). ²

The berries are rich in manganese. This trace element is contained in 1.7 mg/100g, which corresponds to 85% of the daily requirement ¹ and is very high for fruits and berries. Muscadine grapes (2 mg/100g) contain a little more manganese. Foods that are particularly rich in manganese are teff/dwarf millet (9.2 mg/100g) and wheat germ (13 mg/100g). ²

The berries contain biotin (ex vitamin B₇, H) and riboflavin (vitamin B₂), as well as small amounts of potassium, iron and calcium. ¹

Aronia berries are known for their secondary plant substances. They are rich in polyphenols, such as anthocyanins, procyanidins and phenolic acids. Flavonols include quercetin and tannins. ³

The complete ingredients of aronia berries (raw), the coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values ​​with other ingredients can be found in our nutrient tables. In the article Nutrients explained you will get a detailed insight into the topic.

Health effects

Are Aronia healthy? Thanks to the high content of secondary plant substances, raw Aronia berries are extremely healthy. Scientific studies show that Aronia berries are rich in polyphenols, such as anthocyanins (25% of the polyphenol content), procyanidins and phenolic acids. The flavonol content is relatively low, with quercetin being the most important flavonol in Aronia berries. Also present are tannins and high levels of sorbitol (80 g/l of fresh juice) in fruits. The seeds are fatty, with linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acid) being the main fatty acid. ³

Raw aronia berries are an excellent source of antioxidants, but these can also be found in other berries, such as currants, cranberries,blueberries,elderberries and gooseberries (organic is best). Antioxidants protect against free radicals that attack nucleic acids, lipids and proteins, causing inflammation, cancer and a variety of chronic diseases. ³

Extracts from aronia berries have been shown to have antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects in vitro. ¹⁰

Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies show that aronia berries have a health-promoting effect on lipid metabolism disorders (dylipidemia), high blood pressure (hypertension) and obesity (adiposity) and thus also reduce the risk of thrombosis. However, it was found that only patients with metabolic syndrome and obesity benefited from better lipid levels by consuming aronia juice. No change in blood lipid levels could be seen in healthy women and people who only suffered from high blood pressure. A reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure could be demonstrated in overweight and normal-weight people, as well as in people with and without high blood pressure. ¹¹

It has also been proven that aronia extracts have a health-promoting effect on disorders of glucose metabolism (diabetes). Studies on insulin-resistant rats showed that administration of the extract leads to a reduction in blood sugar levels. It was found that the polyphenols contained in the extract inhibit the activity of glucosidase and lipase. Whether they also influence the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) is the subject of research. DPP-4 inhibitors are often used in the treatment of diabetes because they prolong the release of "insulin". ¹¹

Aronia berries have an anti-inflammatory effect. ^10,11 Cardiovascular diseases are associated with chronic, mild inflammation. Researchers were able to prove that people who had had a heart attack had lower inflammatory markers after consuming aronia berry extracts, which was attributed to the secondary plant substances they contained. ¹⁰

Due to the studies described above and the secondary plant substances it contains, aronia is touted as a "superfood" and there are numerous nutritional supplements on the market. These products contain aronia extracts whose composition is unknown and whose effects have not been investigated. The vitamins they contain are often added artificially.

A varied diet with lots of vegetables, fruit and berries contributes to a good supply of secondary plant substances and is the basis of a healthy and sustainable diet. What you should still bear in mind can be found in the following article: Vegans often eat unhealthily. Avoidable nutritional errors.

Dangers - Intolerances - Side effects

Aronia berries have an astringent effect ("contracting"). This is why eating them can cause a dry, sandy feeling in the mouth. The tannins they contain can cause stomach pain in sensitive people and the sorbitol can cause diarrhea.

Are aronia berries unhealthy? Like many plant foods, raw aronia berries contain amygdalin. This cyanogenic glycoside is converted into toxic hydrogen cyanide during digestion. Aronia berries contain around 20.1 mg of amygdalin per 100 g of fresh berries. Juice contains 5.7 mg/100g, while the pomace can contain 52.3 mg/100g. ⁸ The lethal dose of amygdalin for adults is 0.5-3.5 mg/kg body weight. ⁷ No information has been provided on the amygdalin content of pasteurized juice. ⁸ It is assumed that processing (e.g. heating) of fruit seeds and kernels containing amygdalin eliminates the potential for toxicity. ¹³

The term "B vitamin ₁₇ " is a synonym for the acronym laetrile or amygdalin. This is a pseudovitamin that the body does not need for its normal function. Rumors from the 1980s attributed an anti-cancer effect to this ingredient. However, this claim was clearly refuted by a systematic review by a Cochrane review in 2015. The study concluded that there is no reliable evidence for the alleged effects of laetrile or amygdalin on curative (healing) effects in cancer patients. ¹⁴ The sale of amygdalin is banned in the USA and Europe. ⁷

Folk medicine - natural healing

The black chokeberry is known in Russian natural healing as a blood pressure lowering agent. In North American folk medicine it is used to relieve colds. There, chokeberries are mixed into a traditional dried meat preparation (pemmican). ¹⁰

Ecological footprint - animal welfare

Despite extensive research, we have not yet found any essential information/data/figures on the ecological footprint of aronia berries.

The Big Climate Database from Denmark indicates a CO ₂ footprint of less than 1 kg CO ₂ eq/kg for the listed berries. The exception here isblueberries with 2.91 kg CO ₂ eq/kg. ¹²

For detailed explanations of various sustainability indicators (such as ecological footprint, _CO2 footprint, water footprint), see our article: What does the ecological footprint mean?

Aronia berries are popular with birds, insects and bees. The bushes provide shelter for birds and the berries serve as a source of food in autumn and winter. The flowers of the Aronia bush are suitable for (wild) bees in Europe. ⁹

Worldwide occurrence - cultivation

The pome fruit originally comes from North America and Canada. Since the 20th century, Aronia species have been cultivated in Russia, Europe (Finland, Sweden, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Germany) and Asia (China, Japan, Korea) in addition to the USA and Canada. ^3,10 Small and medium-sized companies can now be found throughout the DA-CH region. Aronia berries are available from both conventional and organic cultivation.

Growing in your own garden

Aronia bushes can be easily grown in your own garden. The chokeberry is a frost-resistant bush that can withstand winter temperatures of -30 to -35 °C. It is a light-loving species that prefers sunny locations, but also tolerates partial shade. It also tolerates short periods of drought relatively well. In hot and dry summers, the plant should be watered occasionally. Aronia bushes prefer well-drained, sandy-loamy soils. ³

Due to their tolerable growth height, Aronia plants are also suitable for large pots (at least 20 l volume). The root system requires a pot that is wider than deep. About every two to three years, the shrub should be transplanted into a larger pot with fresh soil in spring. ⁶

Most flowers and fruits form on five- to six-year-old shoots; older branches produce significantly less. Older and weak, new shoots are cut off in the winter months. ⁶

The harvest season is between July and August, when the berries are soft and slightly sweet. ³ In the DA-CH region, the harvest begins in mid-August and lasts about three weeks. The whole bunches with the fruit are cut off with garden shears. They are then washed and the individual berries are plucked from the stems. Wearing gloves prevents your hands from becoming discolored. ⁶

Further information

Aronia belongs to the genus of chokeberries ( Aronia) within the rose family (Rosaceae). There are three Aronia species: Aronia arbutifolia (L.) Pers. (red chokeberry), Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliot (black chokeberry) and Aronia prunifolia (Marshall) Rehder (purple chokeberry). ^3.5

Alternative names

What is Aronia called in German? In German-speaking countries, Aronia is also used for the berry, meaning the felty chokeberry, bald chokeberry or black chokeberry. It is sometimes also called black rowan or dwarf rowan.

The English name is chokeberry, but the term Aronia is also used in English. Chokeberries are not to be confused with chokecherries ( Prunus virginiana - Virginia black cherry) or purple chokeberries ( Malus floribunda - Japanese apple).

The spellings "Aronya" and "Aronja" are incorrect.