The cocomerina pear, an ancient variety of European pear, displays powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities

The phenolic content of two cultivars of the Cocomerina pear (Pyrus communis var. Cocomerina) was evaluated by Italian researchers for possible antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Their findings indicated that the ancient fruit is a superfood, with its long-ripening cultivar possessing higher levels of polyphenols.

The research was supported by the Universita di Urbino – Carlo Bo. The researchers published their findings in the CyTA – Journal of Food.

• The Cocomerina pear is a very rare variant of the European pear. It is an ancient fruit that is only found in the Apennine region of Italy.
• Three extracts were prepared using the ripe fruit of the early-ripening cultivar and the ripe and unripe fruit of the late-ripening cultivar. Each Cocomerina pear extract was screened for the types and amounts of phenols they contained.
• In general, the extracts of the late-ripening cultivar contained 30 to 40 percent more polyphenols than those in the early-ripening one.
• The amount of anthocyanin in the Cocomerina pear corresponded with the period and stage of maturation of the fruit. Late-ripening fruits harvested in October contained 126 times more anthocyanin than early-ripening fruits collected during August.
• Extracts derived from the ripe fruits of the late-ripening cultivar demonstrated superior free radical scavenging, oxygen radical absorption, and inhibition of inflammatory substances. The Cocomerina pear extracts demonstrated greater antioxidant activity than most pear variants.

The researchers concluded that the Cocomerina pear should be further recovered and properly cultivated so that it can serve as an antioxidant-rich superfood.

You can review the full version of the study at this link.

For more articles about superfoods like Cocomerina pears and their protective benefits, visit SuperFoods.news.

Journal Reference:

Bucchini A, Scoccianti V, Ricci D, Giamperi L. COCOMERINA PEAR: AN OLD AND RARE FRUIT WITH RED PULP: ANALYSIS OF PHENOLIC CONTENT AND ANTIOXIDANT/ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CAPACITY. CyTA – Journal of Food. 2016 Mar 10:1–5. DOI: 10.1080/19476337.2016.1147084