Zezhou Red Hawthorn

Zezhou Red Hawthorn

Zezhou Red Hawthorn is an agricultural product with geographical indication status.

　　Jincheng has been historically known as "Zezhou," and hawthorn has long been a traditional resource in the region with a long cultivation history. The area’s unique geographical location and superior natural conditions endow the locally grown hawthorn with excellent internal quality — sweet yet tangy, and notably large in size. Commonly referred to as the "King of Hawthorns," it earns its name "Zezhou Red" from the locality. An inscription in the old temple of Yangping Village, Chen'gou Township (erected on the 10th day of the 16th year of the Guangxu reign) states: "Our village has always had more mountains than arable land, making livelihood difficult. Our ancestors planted red fruit trees to make ends meet." In the third year of the Guangxu reign, Zezhou suffered a major drought, yielding no crops. The locals survived by trading hawthorn fruits for food or eating the leaves to stave off hunger. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, merchants from the northeast came with camel caravans to purchase hawthorn fruits. Every household could sell their produce to traders who transported it to the Tianjin port and shipped it overseas.

　　Produced in Jincheng, Shanxi. Zezhou Red Hawthorn is a premium variety nationwide, known for its sweet-tangy flavor and large size, hence called the "King of Hawthorns."

　　According to laboratory analysis, Zezhou Red Hawthorn contains 22% carbohydrates, 0.7% protein, 0.2% fat, 0.025% phosphorus, 0.0021% iron, and 0.085% calcium. Its iron and calcium content rank the highest among fruits. It has a total sugar content of 10.15%, acidity of 4.93%, total flavonoids of 0.44%, and vitamin C content of 91.3 mg per 100g, which is 17 times higher than that of apples. It also boasts abundant nutrients such as carotene, riboflavin C, vitamin B2, niacin, and more. Medicinally, it can be formulated into 49 types of traditional Chinese patent medicines, offering effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying, dispersing blood stasis, resolving phlegm, refreshing the mind, stopping bleeding, invigorating the brain, aiding digestion and appetite, and lowering blood pressure, showing marked efficacy against cardiovascular diseases. Recent studies have found that Zezhou Red Hawthorn contains high levels of the anti-cancer compound vitexin. Its leaves can be used to extract "hawthorn flavonoids," a key water-soluble component in sedative medications.

　　Geographical Range

　　The geographical indication protection area for Zezhou Red Hawthorn mainly covers 14 towns and 3 townships in Zezhou County, including Gaodu Town, Bagong Town, Xiacun Town, Lizhai Township, Nanling Township, and others, involving 632 administrative villages. The natural geographical coordinates lie between 35°12′–35°42′ north latitude and 112°31′–113°14′ east longitude. The region spans approximately 62.75 km from east to west and about 58.85 km from north to south, covering a protected area of 2,023 square kilometers. The total production area is 2,000 hectares, with an annual output of 45,000 tons. Key production areas include Dasheung, Dalu, Shanhao, Fengtou, Beishangkuang, and Mayu in Gaodu Town; Dongsiyi, Shanerdong, Erxianzhang, Liubozhang, and Guozhuang in Bagong Town; Tali, Wengshan, Yangshan, and Wangpo in Xiacun Town; Lizhai, Doujiao, and Jianshui in Lizhai Township; and Ligou, Huangshadi, and Yanzhuang in Nanling Township, totaling 23 villages.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　Hawthorn, also known as "mountain hawthorn," "fairy fruit," or "fox berry," is a deciduous small tree of the Rosaceae family. It features dark gray bark with pale yellow lenticels, purplish-brown twigs, and simple or fascicled leaves on short branches. The leaves are broad ovate, with corymbose inflorescences of white flowers that later turn pinkish. The fruit is spherical, turning deep red when ripe, with light-colored speckles on the surface. It grows on sunny slopes, mixed forest edges, shrubs, and sparse woods at altitudes of 400–1,000 meters. Hawthorn fruits are pleasantly sweet and sour, thirst-quenching, and offer high nutritional and medicinal value. 1. **External Sensory Characteristics**: Zezhou Red Hawthorn is a renowned local variety, notable for its large, round, and bright red appearance. Individual fruits weigh around 20g, with pinkish flesh that is rich in flavor, sweet and tangy, earning it the title of the "King of Hawthorns" nationwide. 2. **Internal Quality Indicators**: In addition to being red-skinned and red-fleshed with a delightful sweet-tangy taste and unique quality, Zezhou Red Hawthorn also offers high nutritional and medicinal value. Beyond meeting the national industry standard SB/T 10092-92 for hawthorn, its distinctive quality metrics include: sugar content ≥6.0%, total organic acid (calculated as citric acid) ≥1.5%, total flavonoids (calculated as rutin) 0.10–0.25%, total dietary fiber 35–50%, pectin content 1.0–2.0%, vitamin C ≥25mg/100g, β-carotene up to 20–70μg/100g, total phosphorus 10–25mg/100g, iron 4–20mg/kg, calcium 480–1200mg/kg. Both its iron and calcium contents rank first among fruits, making it highly nutritious. 3. **Safety Requirements**: The hygiene and safety indicators of Zezhou Red Hawthorn comply with the national industry standard SB/T 10092-92 for hawthorn, as well as the relevant regulations of GB2762-2005 "Maximum Levels of Contaminants in Foods" and GB2763-2005 "Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides in Foods."