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• 1 2022-05-11T11:25:21-07:00 Aronia melanocarpa: fine wines to phenols 60 By Natalie Keung and Joanne Kwak #chokeberries plain 2022-05-27T18:45:38-07:00

  Nomenclatural History

  Aronia melanocarpa, commonly known as the Black Chokeberry, is a deciduous shrub cultivated throughout Eastern Europe. Originally indegenous to North America, the plant was known as nîki’mînûn or sakwako’mînûn by the North American Potawatomi and Abnaki tribe. When European settlers arrived in the Americas they named the plant Mespilus arbutifolia var. Melanocarpa in 1803, by the French botanist André Michaux. It was then recategorized as “Aronia melanocarpa”, by American botanist Stephen Elliot in 1821 . The genus name, Aria, is derived from the Greek word “aria”, while the species name, melanocarpa, is derived from the words "Melano"- meaning black, and "carpa", meaning fruit. Commonly known as the Chokeberry, this name is a reference to the berry’s tart flavor. As one ethnobotanical book from 1933 noted, “the natives eat the berries from this plant but they are entirely too bitter to suit the white man”. However, the plant is now used in a variety of foods throughout Europe. 

  Evolutionary History

  Aronia melanocarpa is a member of the Rosacae family, or the “Rose” family, which includes plants such as roses, apricots, or almonds. The plant is one of 16 plants within the genus Aronia, and  is closely related to Aronia arbutifolia, the red chokeberry. Individual specimens of Aronia melanocarpa used in cultivation are often very closely related to each other, as new plants are established from cuttings. 

  Historical Accounts

  The plant is native to North America and Eastern Canada and the berries were used by North American Forest Potawatomi and Abnaki tribes in preparation of pemmican, a high calorie food made from animal fat, dried powdered meat, and sometimes fruit. Also, they used the fruits for medicinal teas, make dyes, cure meats, and as nutritional dried treats in the long winter months. The berries and the bark were used as an astringent.
  After World War II, the first shrubs of Aronia melanocarpa were brought to Europe and Russia, specifically Altai, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. Starting 1946, large- scale black chokeberry cultivation was introduced to the former Soviet Union, including Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine. In 1976, aronia was introduced to Japan and by the 1980s, it was introduced for cultivation in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Denmark and Finland. Poland was the main supplier of chokeberry to Germany despite cultivation being present in East Germany since 1976. In 1996, Jan Mills, president and CEO of Artemis International Inc. took the main commercial cultivars from Polish agricultural schools and brought them back to Indiana. Since then, the chokeberry bush is used as an ornamental plant in the United States. In England, it received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Merit in 1972 for their white flowers in the spring, green foliage in the summer, and fruits in the late summer and autumn. 

  Domestication

  Aronia melanocarpa is a popular shrub on the industrial and amateur scale in Central Europe. It is used as an ornamental in the US and the berries are eaten fresh or incorporated into cooking in various locations and industries. In Poland, black chokeberries are used on a large scale by the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. In Lithuania, these berries are used to produce wine. In general, Aronia is used in juice, jams, teas, and cordials. In the canning industry, Aronia are used to produce compotes, confitures, fruit jellies, marmalades, and the juices from the fruit are used to adjust or enhance flavor along with coloring. The fresh pressed juice is used as raw material for the manufacture of alcoholic sparkling wines, dessert wines, and liqueurs. In dairy processing, ice cream, yogurts, cream desserts, and sorbets include the berries. Black chokeberries are used for baking, specifically for praline fillings, cake fillings, fruit bars, cereals, and gummy bears. The pomace, or solid remains of the fruit after pressing, are used as color pigment. 
  
  Cultivation
  In Eastern Europe, thousands of Aronia melanocarpa are grown commercially. In addition to commercial production, Aronia melanocarpa is also sold as an ornamental. In the U.S., the aronia berry industry is still developing, but currently is focused more in Harrison County inWestern Iowa. ‘Autumn Magic’ and ‘Iraqis Beauty’ are the two most commonly sold ornamental cultivars of Aronia melanocarpa. Different cultivars have different purposes. ‘Viking’ is a vigorous, productive variety from Scandinavia, which can grow to a height of 6 feet. ‘Nero’ is a shorter growing variety, reaching a height of 3 to 4 feet, with dark blue berries. In the U.S., a selection from a native source in Michigan is being sold as ‘Morton’ black chokeberry. It is marketed in the Midwest under the trademark Iroquois Beauty™. ‘McKenzie’ is a larger form that grows from 6 to 12 feet developed especially for conservation use and agroforestry benefits by the Plant Materials Center at Bismarck, North Dakota.
  The Aronia melanocarpa shrub produces their first fruits in 3 years and the first large harvest occurs after 5 years. The berries tend to hang in clusters of up to 12 berries. They are harvested by hand or mechanically with a blueberry picker in late August or late September after they ripen. This shrub has many adaptations from their fibrous roots. Aronia berries can grow without irrigation because these fibrous roots store moisture. These roots also prevent soil erosion, which protects the soil. This shrub grows and spreads by suckering, allowing it to reproduce easily. However, when growing commercially or in personal gardens, cultivators tend to plant the Aronia in rows in slightly acidic soils for the best results.
  
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  Morphological Description

  Aronia melanocarpa are deciduous, rounded, but upright shrubs that become leggy as they age. These shrubs grow to a height of 2-3 meter but vary based on the particular cultivars. The bark of this shrub is thin and smooth. The leaves are simple and alternately arranged with serrated edges and an elliptical shape. Since the Aronia melanocarpa are deciduous, the leaves change color in the fall. Throughout the year, the leaves are gold or yellow and dark green but as fall approaches, the leaves turn into a burgundy or red color. Aronia melanocarpa produce 20-30 small white flowers that eventually mature into dark purple berries that span in diameter from 6 to 13 millimeters and weigh from .5 to 2 grams, similar to the size of blueberries. The small white flowers are arranged in inflorescences and each have 4-5 white petals with pink anthers. They are protogynous and self compatible and reproduce apomictically via gametophytic apomixis, which results in embryos identical or nearly identical to maternal plants. The primary pollinators of these shrubs are bees. Reproduction is mainly by seed. These seeds are small, slightly more than 1/16 of an inch. These seeds must be cleaned and dried after harvest for the best germination. 
  Aronia melanocarpa are tolerant to a wide variety of soil conditions including wet boggy soils. They can withstand these wet conditions allowing them to grow along ponds, streams, or water gardens. Aronia melanocarpa are typically found in bogs, cliffs, ledges, fens, swamps, woodlands, and wetlands. These shrubs do well in full sun and in partial shade. Butterflies, pollinators, small mammals, and songbirds tend to be attracted to the aronia berries and flowers. 

  Human Experience

  Historically, the Black Chokeberry was used both as food and medicine by a wide variety of people. Currently, in addition to its use as an ornamental shrub and food source, this plant has drawn attention for its high levels of antioxidants, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, flavonols, and phenolic acids. A variety of studies are being conducted on the impact on these compounds on  reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and neurological disease, acting as an anti-inflammatory, or preventing cancers. Current research is being conducted  into how to best process the berries to retain bioactive compounds as well as how to best apply these compounds to treatments in a clinical setting. These promises have categorized the plant as a “superfood”, and a variety of supplements are on the market, although not approved by the FDA for medicinal use. Anecdotal evidence claims that these supplements have helped reduce inflammation, reduce blood sugar levels, and reduce blood pressure. 
  
  References
  A. PERSSON HOVMALM, H. E. L. E. N. A., Jeppsson, N., V. BARTISH, I. G. O. R., & Nybom, H. (2004). RAPD analysis of diploid and tetraploid populations of Aronia points to different reproductive strategies within the genus. Hereditas, 141(3), 301-312.
  “Aronia Melanocarpa.” Aronia Melanocarpa (Black Berried Aronia, Black Chokeberry) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aronia-melanocarpa/. 
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  Culture of aronia for fruit production - cooperative extension: Agriculture - University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Cooperative Extension: Agriculture. (n.d.). Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://extension.umaine.edu/agriculture/aronia/culture/ 
  Engels, Gayle, and Josef Brinckmann. “Black Chokeberry Aronia Melanocarpa Family: Rosaceae.” Black Chokeberry - American Botanical Council, https://www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/101/table-of-contents/hg101-herbpro-chokeberry/. 
  Everhart, E. (n.d.). Aronia - a new crop for Iowa. News. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2009/mar/110401.htm 
  Halina Maria Ekiert, Agnieszka Szopa, & Paweł Kubica. (1970, January 1). High production of depsides and other phenolic acids in different types of shoot cultures of three Aronias: Aronia melanocarpa, Aronia arbutifolia, Aronia ×  prunifolia. SpringerLink. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-030-30185-9_11 
  King, E. S., & Bolling, B. W. (2020). Composition, polyphenol bioavailability, and health benefits of aronia berry: A review. Journal of Food Bioactives, 11.
  Mahoney, Jonathan D., et al. “Sexual and Apomictic Seed Reproduction in Aronia Species with Different Ploidy Levels.” Hortsci, American Society for Horticultural Science, 1 Apr. 2019, https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/54/4/article-p642.xml. 
  Martin, D. A., Taheri, R., Brand, M. H., Draghi II, A., Sylvester, F. A., & Bolling, B. W. (2014). Anti-inflammatory activity of aronia berry extracts in murine splenocytes. Journal of Functional Foods, 8, 68-75.
  Tolić, M. T., Jurčević, I. L., Krbavčić, I. P., Marković, K., & Vahčić, N. (2015). Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Capacity and Quality of Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) Products. Food technology and biotechnology, 53(2), 171–179. https://doi.org/10.17113/ftb.53.02.15.3833
  Ochmian, Ireneusz, et al. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, Comparison of Some Morphological Features, Quality and Chemical Content of Four Cultivars of Chokeberry Fruits (Aronia Melanocarpa). 
  “WSU Clark County Extension.” Black Chokeberry - Aronia Melanocarpa - PNW Plants, http://www.pnwplants.wsu.edu/PlantDisplay.aspx?PlantID=59.