John Myers
It looks similar to the blueberry, comes from Chile, and is said to be a real nutritional miracle: the maqui berry. Many health benefits are attributed to the small fruit. We get to the bottom of the statements.
It’s in the maqui berry
The more exotic, the better: True to this motto, more and more so-called superfoods are coming onto the market. The food from distant countries should contain a particularly large number of vitamins, minerals or trace elements, and other ingredients that are said to be particularly beneficial to health. In the case of the Maqui berry, the high content of vitamin C and secondary plant substances, in this case, anthocyanins, is touted.
The problem with this: Exactly how much of it is in the Chilean grape has not yet been officially researched. Since the fruit is not available fresh in this country, but as a dietary supplement in the form of maqui berry powder and juice, the nutrient content can also vary greatly from product to product. The consumer center also warns that supplements made from the maqui berry, like products made from the goji berry or acai berry, can be contaminated.
Effect and taste of the maqui berry
It has not been proven whether Maqui powder & Co. have a special antioxidant effect due to the anthocyanins and can thus prevent various diseases. This also applies to the other advertising statements: there is no evidence that taking medicines with the Maqui berry strengthens the immune system, nor that you can lose weight with the help of the fruit.
The presumed vitamins contained in the berries do not justify the purchase of expensive dietary supplements with the extract of Aristotelia chilensis, as the botanical name of the maqui berry is. If you would like to do something good for yourself in this regard, we recommend using local fruits such as blueberries for recipes such as our Smoothie Bowl. Especially since the taste of fresh berries is usually better than that of processed specimens.
Local berries have the edge
Speaking of taste: The maqui berry is not very different here from the slightly sour aroma of blackberries combined with blueberries. From this point of view, too, the Chilean grape does not offer any advantages that justify the high price of the dietary supplements. The intense purple color for optical delicacies can also be achieved just as well with local fruit. Our berry recipes introduce you to the variety of delicious dishes with summer fruits from Germany, from fine fruit cake to shakes. For the winter you can freeze, preserve or dry the berries – with ingredients that you determine and with nutrient-saving methods.
