High-Value Nutrition Ko Ngā Kai Whai Painga National Science Challenge has awarded a development grant of $55,000 to Cherri Health and Manufacturing (CH&M). CH&M will collaborate with the Riddet Institute Centre of Research Excellence at Massey University in Palmerston North to identify commercial opportunities for six popular Otago-grown cherry varieties as functional health products.
An eight-month project to explore the bioactive properties of Aotearoa cherries to better understand their potential health benefits has attracted research funding and is now underway. Cherries provide significant health benefits such as:
- decreasing markers for oxidative stress
- reducing inflammation
- improving exercise-induced muscle soreness and loss of strength
- regulating blood pressure
- lessening arthritic symptoms
- improving sleep.
Phil Alison, CEO for Cherri Global and its subsidiary companies, says the research will not only have a positive impact on CH&M, but also the wider summer fruit category and Aotearoa as a whole.
Source: riddet.ac.nz