EFFECT OF MANUFACTURING AND PRESERVING 

 PROCESSES ON THE VITAMINS OF CRANBERRIES^ 



By Paul D. Isham. Research Fellow, and Carl R. Fellers, Research Pro- 

 fessor of Horticultural Manufactures 



PURPOSE 



A comprehensive investigation of the vitamin content of the American culti- 

 vated cranberry, Vacciniiim macrocarpon, was undertaken to include several varie- 

 ties, seasons, storage conditions, and manufactured products such as evaporated, 

 frozen, and canned cranberries. This is the first of a series of studies planned to 

 investigate the effect of manufacturing methods on the nutritive value of fruits 

 and vegetables. Only limited data are available on this general subject. Re- 

 sults obtained in the present investigation show the necessity of actualK' rleter- 

 mining the changes which may occur in a fruit during storage, processing, and 

 preser\"ation. 



INTRODUCTION 



Since cranberries are a very important crop in Massachusetts, data relative to 

 their vitamin content and the effect of storage, home cooking, and commercial 

 manufacturing processes on these vitamins are very desirable. Approximately 

 300,000 cases or 10,000,000 pounds of cranberry sauce are produced each year. 

 Since a pound of cranberries makes about 2.6 pounds of sauce, the cranberries 

 used for commercial canned sauce manufacture represent close to 40,000 barrels. 

 However, most of the fruit is consumed as sauce prepared in the home. The per 

 capita consumption of cranberries in the United States is 0.54 pound. Cran- 

 berries are harvested in September and October and may be found on the market 

 until late winter. 



Because of confusion in nomenclature in published articles on the cranberry, and 

 to clarify several literature citations in this paper, a very brief discussion ot the 

 botanical relationships of the cranberry is given. The common, large, cultivated 

 American cranberry so widely consumed in this country is known as Vaccinium 

 macrocarpon. European references to cranberries generally refer to other species. 

 Most important of these is V. VitU-Idaea, also known as the mountain or rock cran- 

 berry (U.S.), cowberry, foxberry (Gt. Britain, Canada), Preisselbeere (Germany), 

 tyttebaer (Norway), lingon berry (Sweden ), Kroesa( Denmark), and partridge berry 

 (Newfoundland). This species grows on upland and rocky places rather than in 

 swamps. The other species, V. Oxycoccus, is known as the moss, bog, or swamp 

 cranberry, and also as the small or speckled cranberry. The fruit and vine of this 

 species are smaller than either V. macrocarpon or V. Vitis-Idaea. 



^ Part of a thesis submitted by the senior author to the faculty of the Graduate School, Massa- 

 chusetts State College, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Phil- 

 osophy. 



The financial aid and encouraging interest of the American Cranberry Exchange of New York 

 are gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are likewise due to the Birdseye Laboratories, Gloucester, for 

 packing, freezing and storing fruit for the freezing experiments; and to M. L. Urann of South Han- 

 son. J. C. Makepeace of VVareham, Dr. H. J. Franklin of the Cranberry Station, East Wareham, 

 Hills Brothers Company of Xew York, and Sardik Laboratories, Inc. of New York, for furnishing 

 fruit and other products. 



