|
Wild
Blueberry Newsletter |
||||||
|
December 2007 There will be a Pesticides Applicator Recertification session on Thursday, January 17, 2008 in the Kennebec/Penobscot Room at the Civic Center in Augusta, Maine. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Board of Pesticides Control will present three one-hour training sessions. Licensed pesticide applicators and dealers may attend sessions to earn credits towards recertification. One credit will be allowed for attendance for each hour. The schedule is as follows:
To see all the events at the trade show visit: http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/pesticides/cert/creditcal.shtml. Phoebe Nylund, Administrative Assistant II has completely renovated the Wild Blueberry web site found at http://www.wildblueberries.maine.edu/. Phoebe has added a flash presentation of the wild blueberry production cycle, a search form page and has completely redesigned the site to improve the look and ease of navigation. Please take the time to visit the site and to thank Phoebe for her hard work. If you wish to be added to our list serve to receive special updates provide pnylund@umext.maine.edu with your email address. Notices are sent out BCC (blind carbon copy) so others will not see your email address. Press releases pertaining to two different research studies were distributed in November. The releases were developed through collaboration between Swardlick Marketing Group, Wild Blueberry Association Nutrition Advisor Susan Davis, MS, RD and the respective researchers. The first press release reported on work conducted by Rui Hai Liu, Ph.D. from Cornell University. Dr. Liu has developed a new testing assay known as the cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assay. This new test is used to determine antioxidant activity in cells. Of the fruits initially tested, wild blueberries had the highest cellular antioxidant activity. This new approach accounts for antioxidant activity in cells versus looking at antioxidant values alone. The second press release reports on research conducted by Ron Prior, Ph.D., from the USDA Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center. Dr. Prior examined the performance of specific fruits against oxidative stress in the body. The study concluded that eating wild blueberries and other antioxidant-rich foods at every meal helps prevent oxidative stress. Dr. Prior combined results from clinical trials conducted at four different institutions. Affiliated research partners included the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston, Massachusetts, the USDA/ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center at the University of California, Davis, and the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Maine. The November/December issue of Eating Well magazine includes a terrific feature story on anti-aging super foods. Blueberries take a top spot as the only fruit or vegetable selected. Blueberries are keeping company with olive oil, yogurt, fish, chocolate, nuts and wine. The writer’s intent in writing this story was to answer the following question. Can the foods we eat and the way we live make a measurable difference in life span? Blueberries were selected as a super food because of their ability to mitigate inflammation and oxidative damage and because of specific research from USDA’s Dr. Jim Joseph, Ph.D., in the area of brain aging. In addition to the anti-aging article, the magazine contains another story about the benefits of blue/purple foods. According to the article, blue/purple foods make up only 3 percent of the average American’s fruit and vegetable intake, but are a “…vision of good health.” This article generated approximately 1 million reader impressions. In the November issue of Fitness magazine, blueberries were selected as a super food for the skin. “The Wrinkle-Free Diet” singled out blueberries as “best for smoothing fine lines.” The blueberry’s antioxidant power is thought to give the skin extra protection from sun exposure, stress and over exercising. This article generated an additional 3 million impressions. Sincerely,
David E.
Yarborough
|
