The chokeberries are often mistakenly called chokecherries, which is the common name for Prunus virginiana. Further adding to the ambiguity, there is a variety of Prunus virginiana named melanocarpa. This is easily confused with Aronia melanocarpa, commonly referred to as "black chokeberry" or "aronia berry." Aronia berries and chokecherries are both high in antioxidant pigment compounds, like anthocyanins, further contributing to confusion. In fact, the two plants are only distantly related within the Rosaceae
The leaves are alternate, simple, and oblanceolate with crenate margins and pinnate venation; in autumn the leaves turn a bold red color. Dark trichomes are present on the upper midrib surface. The flowers are small, with 5 petals and 5 sepals, and produced in corymbs of 10-25 together. Hypanthium is urn-shaped. The fruit is a small pome, with a very astringent flavor.
Aronia has been thought to be closely related to Photinia, and has been included in that genus in some classifications, but botanist Cornelis Kalkman observed that a combined genus should be under the older name Aronia. The combined genus contains about 65 species. In 2004, Kalkman expressed doubt about the monophyly of the combined group, and new molecular studies confirm this. They do not place these two genera together or even near one another.
In eastern North America, there are two well-known species, named after their fruit color, red chokeberry and black chokeberry, plus a purple chokeberry whose origin is a natural hybrid of the two.
Red chokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia (Photinia pyrifolia), grows to 2–4m tall, rarely up to 6 m. Leaves are 5–8 cm wide and densely pubescent on the underside. The flowers are white or pale pink, 1 cm wide, with glandular sepals. The fruit is red, 4–10mm wide, persisting into winter.
Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
Black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa (Photinia melanocarpa), tends to be smaller, rarely exceeding 1m tall, rarely 3 m, and spreads readily by root sprouts. The leaves are smaller, not more than 6-cm wide, with terminal glands on leaf teeth and a glabrous underside. The flowers are white, 1.5 cm wide, with glabrous sepals. The fruit is black, 6–9mm wide, not persisting into winter.
The Purple chokeberry, Aronia prunifolia (Photinia floribunda) apparently originated as a hybrid of the black and red chokeberries but might be more accurately considered a distinct species than a hybrid[12] (see also nothospecies). Leaves are moderately pubescent on the underside. Few to no glands are present on the sepal surface. The fruit is dark purple to black, 7–10mm in width, not persisting into winter. There are purple chokeberry populations which seem to be self-sustaining independent of the two parent species – including an introduced one in northern Germany where neither parent species occurs –, leading botanist Alan Weakley to consider it a full species rather than a hybrid. The range of the purple chokeberry is roughly that of the black chokeberry; it is found in areas (such as Michigan and Missouri) where the red chokeberry is not.
Sugar
The content of reducing sugar in fresh chokeberrieswas found to be between 16–18% . According to other authors the sum of glucose and fructose was determined to lie between 13–17.6 g/100 g FW, sucrose was not detectable. In freshly pressed juice, glucose (range: 30–60 g/L; mean: 41 g/L) and fructose (range: 28–58 g/L, mean: 38 g/L) were identified [8]. Similarly, the mean amount of sorbitol was determined enzymatically to be 80 g/L in a freshly pressed juice and 56 g/L in a pasteurised juice. Among a series of fruits and berries tested, Aronia was found to contain the highest concentration, suggestingits application as biomarker for juices blended with it (e. g., in the case of black currant) [29]. Sorbitol is a sugar substitute often used in diet foods and is known to act as a weak nonstimulant laxative.
Fat
The total fat content of the berries was analysed to be 0.14 g/100 gFW. The lipids of the chokeberry seeds were recently also evaluated to identify their main components. The seeds contained 19.3 g/kg glyceride oil with linoleic acid as the main fatty acid. The content of phospholipids in the seed oil, represented mainly by phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylethanolamine was 2.8 g/kg. The total amount of sterolswas 1.2 g/kg dry weight (DW), the main component being β-sitosterol, followed by campesterol, stigmasterol and avenasterol. In the tocopherol fraction (55.5 mg/kg) in chokeberry seed oil, α-tocopherol predominated besides β-tocopherol.
Protein
The protein fraction of the berries has hardly been elucidated and the amount present has been summed up to 0.7 g/100 g FW. The content of amino acids has been determinedwith asparagine as the main component in the freshly pressed juice.
Minerals and vitamins
The mineral content (ash values) of the fresh berries was found
to be 440 mg/100 g [24] and 580 mg/100 g [9]. Due to processing,
the mineral contents of juices varied between 300 and 640mg/
100mL. The Aronia juice showed relative high average amounts of potassium and zinc. Contents of heavy metals (Pb,
Cd) in fruits of elderberry and black chokeberry may change depending on harvest site and vegetation period. Vitamins B1 (25–90 μg/100 mL), B2 (25–110μg/100 mL), B6 (30–85 μg/100 mL), C (5–100 mg/100 mL), pantothenic acid (50–380 μg/100 mL) and niacin (100–550 μg/100mL) were found in the freshly pressed juice [8]. The vitamin content of different Aronia berries is reported in [24], [33]. Besides these components, β-carotene and ß-cryptoxanthin were also found in comparatively high amounts.
The content of reducing sugar in fresh chokeberrieswas found to be between 16–18% . According to other authors the sum of glucose and fructose was determined to lie between 13–17.6 g/100 g FW, sucrose was not detectable. In freshly pressed juice, glucose (range: 30–60 g/L; mean: 41 g/L) and fructose (range: 28–58 g/L, mean: 38 g/L) were identified [8]. Similarly, the mean amount of sorbitol was determined enzymatically to be 80 g/L in a freshly pressed juice and 56 g/L in a pasteurised juice. Among a series of fruits and berries tested, Aronia was found to contain the highest concentration, suggestingits application as biomarker for juices blended with it (e. g., in the case of black currant) [29]. Sorbitol is a sugar substitute often used in diet foods and is known to act as a weak nonstimulant laxative.
Fat
The total fat content of the berries was analysed to be 0.14 g/100 gFW. The lipids of the chokeberry seeds were recently also evaluated to identify their main components. The seeds contained 19.3 g/kg glyceride oil with linoleic acid as the main fatty acid. The content of phospholipids in the seed oil, represented mainly by phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylethanolamine was 2.8 g/kg. The total amount of sterolswas 1.2 g/kg dry weight (DW), the main component being β-sitosterol, followed by campesterol, stigmasterol and avenasterol. In the tocopherol fraction (55.5 mg/kg) in chokeberry seed oil, α-tocopherol predominated besides β-tocopherol.
Protein
The protein fraction of the berries has hardly been elucidated and the amount present has been summed up to 0.7 g/100 g FW. The content of amino acids has been determinedwith asparagine as the main component in the freshly pressed juice.
Minerals and vitamins
The mineral content (ash values) of the fresh berries was found
to be 440 mg/100 g [24] and 580 mg/100 g [9]. Due to processing,
the mineral contents of juices varied between 300 and 640mg/
100mL. The Aronia juice showed relative high average amounts of potassium and zinc. Contents of heavy metals (Pb,
Cd) in fruits of elderberry and black chokeberry may change depending on harvest site and vegetation period. Vitamins B1 (25–90 μg/100 mL), B2 (25–110μg/100 mL), B6 (30–85 μg/100 mL), C (5–100 mg/100 mL), pantothenic acid (50–380 μg/100 mL) and niacin (100–550 μg/100mL) were found in the freshly pressed juice [8]. The vitamin content of different Aronia berries is reported in [24], [33]. Besides these components, β-carotene and ß-cryptoxanthin were also found in comparatively high amounts.
Benefit of Chokeberry
Remember
But remember you cannot eat them raw and the pit are poisonous, all you have to do is remove the pit and cook to eat.
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