The Romans are thought to have spread cultivation throughout Europe. In medieval Europe, wild berries were used for medicinal purposes and their juices for paintings and illuminating manuscripts.
By the early nineteenth century, more than twenty cultivars of red raspberry were grown in England and the U.S. English cultivars exported to the U.S. were subsequently crossed with North American seedlings leading to improved cultivars.
Each raspberry flower contains from 60 to 160 ovaries. Each ovary contains two ovules, but one usually aborts after differentiation. About one month after pollination, the ovaries ripen simultaneously to form the fruit.
Raspberries are very rich sources of bioactive compounds such as phenolics, anthocyanins, organic acids, minerals, and more. The genus has also very high amounts of antioxidant compounds.
They are among the highest whole food sources of dietary fiber, providing 6.5 g/100 g of fresh weight, which on a calorie basis is 12.5 g/100 kcal. They also contain vitamin C, magnesium, and a variety of other nutrients, such as potassium, vitamin K, calcium, and iron.
The color of raspberry fruit is imparted by anthocyanins. The anthocyanin molecule in raspberry consists of cyanidin and pelargonidin with glucose attached at the 3-position.
Red raspberries are currently the most widely grown while black raspberries are most popular in certain regions of the eastern U.S. The progeny of black and red raspberries have purple fruits; these types are popular in eastern North America.
Red raspberry: Fruit history and nutrition
