Lingonberry

She is a "harsh beauty", the lingonberry. The small, bright red berries hang together in short bunches and look just gorgeous. However, anyone who has ever eaten them will certainly remember the mouth-puckeringly sour taste. That's why the fruit is usually eaten processed.

Lingonberries are often found in processed form, since their taste in raw form takes some getting used to. In addition to juice, there is also syrup, jelly, jam or fruit sauces. They are very popular as a fruity side to game dishes. In addition, lingonberries can be processed into alcoholic beverages such as wine, brandy and liqueur. Lingonberry products preserve particularly well due to the acids that they contain, including ascorbic and benzoic acid, which have a preservative effect.

sugars in g/100g*
fructose sucrose glucose fructose total**
0,67 0,14 3,44 0,74

Good to know

When it comes to vitamin and mineral content, lingonberries aren’t the most impressive. They tend to rank lower than other berries with, for example, just 12 mg of vitamin C and 81 mg of potassium per 100 gram serving.

The berries are absolute top fruits in terms of their content of phenolic acids and tannins, which inhibit, for example, inflammation of the oral mucosa, gums and urinary tract. On the one hand, this is due to the tannins, which due to their astringent and dehydrating action remove bacteria from a surface, densify the surface of the tissue and form a protective membrane. The phenolic acids in turn belong to the polyphenols - those phytochemicals, which are said to have positive effects on human health, such as an inhibitory effect on bacteria and cancer cells. For example, regular consumption of lingonberry juice reduces the risk of urinary tract infection. Furthermore, the berries contain significant amounts of organic acids, pectin, and fiber.

For individuals with an average tolerance about 100g makes a good test.

*amount of sugar depends on variety and ripeness
**The value of 'fructose total' composes of the pure fructose and 1/2 of the sucrose.

source: BZfE, aid.de