Blueberries from the Greater Khingan Mountains

Blueberries from the Greater Khingan Mountains

Blueberries from the Greater Khingan Mountains are a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Blueberries (Blueberry), scientifically known as Vaccinium uliginosum, also called "dushi," belong to the heath family (Ericaceae) and the genus Vaccinium. They are wild deciduous shrubs that grow in the pristine forests of the Greater Khingan Mountains north of latitude 52°N, with mature fruits exhibiting a dark purple color.

　　　　Nutritional content: Extracts from ripe blueberries are rich in flavonoid pigments, anthocyanins used as antioxidants, unknown enzymes, and anti-cancer active substances.

　　　　Benefits: Regular consumption of blueberries can help maintain lasting visual acuity, enhance the regeneration ability of rhodopsin, strengthen cardiovascular and arterial health, and offer seemingly age-reversing benefits.

　　　　Consumption methods: Wild blueberries can be eaten directly, but they are mainly used for individually quick-frozen processing into juices, pulps, jams, fruit wines, beverages, natural pigments, and extraction of anthocyanins, among others.

　　　　Differences in characteristics between Greater Khingan Mountain blueberries and foreign blueberries

　　　　Blueberries are perennial deciduous or evergreen fruit trees, growing as shrubs with berry-like fruits. Their cultivation history spans less than 100 years, originating in the United States. In 1906, American F.V. Coville first began selective breeding of wild blueberries. After more than 30 years of selection and cultivation, he commercially planted 15 selected blueberry varieties for the first time in 1937. By the late 1980s, over 100 superior varieties suitable for various climatic conditions had been developed, forming blueberry production regions in the southern, eastern, and northern states of the U.S. Currently, blueberries have become one of the major cultivated fruit varieties in the United States. Following the U.S., countries around the world have competed to introduce and cultivate blueberries, with developed regions and countries such as Europe, Australia, Oceania, and Japan being typical representatives, successively entering the stage of commercial cultivation and production.

　　　　Blueberry fruits are blue, nearly round, with individual fruit weights ranging from 0.5 to 2.5 grams, and up to 3.5–5.0 grams at maximum. The flesh is delicate, the seeds extremely small, the taste sweet and slightly acidic, and they possess a pleasantly fragrant aroma. They can be eaten fresh or processed into juice drinks, fruit wine beverages. Blueberry fruits are highly nutritious. Analysis of 14 introduced American blueberry varieties shows that

　　　　The Greater Khingan Mountain region mainly features lowbush, cold-resistant types, with major varieties including "Meiden" and "Beicun."

　　　　Wild blueberries from the Greater Khingan Mountains, also known as Vaccinium uliginosum, are distributed across three counties, four districts, and ten forestry bureaus in the region, with an annual storage volume of 20,000 tons and an annual harvest of around 5,000 tons (in normal years). The main production areas are Mohe, Amuer, Tuqiang, Tahe, and Huzhong, accounting for about 75% of the total. The region has 52 large and small cold storage facilities for blueberries, with seven possessing terminal product processing capabilities. These process 2,000 tons of raw blueberries annually, yielding over 30 types of terminal products such as beverages, fruit wines, dried fruits, jams, and anthocyanins. Crude raw materials are mainly exported via intermediaries or traders, while terminal products are primarily for the domestic market.

　　Blueberries from the Greater Khingan Mountains

　　 Greater Khingan Mountain Special Local Products Development and Promotion Association

　　 11675043

　　 Fresh blueberries