Fruits come in terrific colors and flavors, but their real beauty lies inside. As great sources of many vitamins, minerals, and other natural substances, they help protect people from chronic diseases.

At Ohio State, researchers are focusing on the link between eating berries and fighting degenerative diseases like cancer.

Joe Scheerens of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster, Ohio, examines certain organic components of fruit and berry plants and how they promote human health. “Our major interest consists of how plant genetics and environment intersect to create these components, which are called phytonutrients,” he said.

Black raspberries, strawberries, and specialty fruits such as cornelian cherries are part of the study. The presence of anthocyanins, chemicals that give plants their vibrant colors, gives the foods the ability to inhibit compounds that weaken the immune system and stimulate tissue inflammation. The darker the fruit, the more anthocyanins exist.

With a strong interest in the berry-immunity link, A. Dewey Bond, a 1947 Ohio State graduate who majored in horticulture, has created a charitable lead trust to support fruit research and the study of anti-carcinogenic effects of certain berries. The gift is close to his heart, having grown black raspberries as a hobby and sold them to an upscale restaurant near his home in Great Falls, Va.

Bond’s support enables Scheerens to take a more holistic approach to research, while training future researchers to keep the momentum going. “It’s sometimes difficult to get government grants for this particular use,” said Scheerens, who coordinates efforts with other areas of Ohio State, including the University Medical Center, food science and technology, human nutrition, chemistry, and dentistry, as well as researchers at other universities.

There’s also an extra benefit as the OARDC research team analyzes culture, ripening, postharvest practices, heat, light, water, and other environmental stresses on antioxidants in black raspberries and other berries: Ohio farmers are enjoying a boost in sales as berries remain front and center for scientists—and for healthy consumers.

To learn more about functional foods and how they can enhance health and quality of life, go to Ohio State’s Center for Advanced Functional Foods Research and Entrepreneurship.

Interested in making a gift to the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences? Go here.

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Ohio farmers are enjoying a boost in sales as berries remain front and center for scientists—and for healthy consumers.