Origin and cultivation of sour cherries
Origin of Sour Cherries
Sour cherries (Prunus cerasus) belong botanically to the rose family. They come from the region around the Caspian Sea , as evidenced by fossil finds there. It is believed that sour cherries have been cultivated for over 2000 years and spread from ancient Greece to other European regions and finally worldwide. The best climate for sour cherries is therefore in regions where the summers are mild and the winters moderately cold (1, 2) .
Over time, various varieties have emerged from the few types of original sour cherries. These were developed to optimize the sour cherry for use in agriculture by adapting it to climatic conditions, extending the harvest time and increasing the harvest quantity. Today, 74 varieties of sour cherries are known. The most important sour cherry growing areas include Russia, Hungary, Croatia and Turkey . The most important sour cherry varieties in these countries are Balaton, Marasca and Kütahya. Germany is also one of the important European growing areas, and it is possible to buy sour cherries regionally or pick the cherries yourself nearby. The largest growing area for Montmorency sour cherries is in Michigan in the USA. Their origin can be traced back to a French variety, "Chateau de Moreille" , which is over 400 years old (2) .
What are Montmorency cherries?
Montmorency sour cherries have been recognized as a particularly valuable cherry variety in numerous studies. Since the beginning of the 2000s, this variety has been increasingly studied for its ingredients and effects on the human body (2) .
In addition to vitamins, minerals and trace elements such as potassium, calcium, iron and zinc (3) , this sour cherry variety contains high amounts of valuable polyphenols . The most important polyphenols include cyanidins, kaempferol, quercetin, melatonin, neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid and 3-coumaroylquinic acid (4) .
Polyphenols are secondary plant substances that protect plants in nature from pests, diseases and UV rays. In the human body, they have various health effects and influence numerous processes and mechanisms (5) .
What is the difference between Montmorency cherries and other sour cherries?
The biggest difference between Montmorency tart cherries and other sour cherries is the amount of valuable ingredients. One study compared the total amount of polyphenols in different cherry varieties grown in the United States: Bing, Royal Ann, Rainier and Montmorency . The highest amount was found in Montmorency tart cherries at 4.07 mg/g , followed by Royal Ann at 2.29 mg/g (6) .
A special ingredient that is rarely found in other types of fruit or vegetables is melatonin. Montmorency sour cherries contain melatonin in a particularly high concentration of 13.46 ng/g . The Balaton sour cherry variety also contains significant amounts of melatonin, but six times less than the Montmorency.
Melatonin is a messenger substance in the human body that is involved in regulating the sleep-wake cycle . In plants, melatonin acts as a radical scavenger and plays a role in photoperiodic regulation. This is relevant because the melatonin absorbed through the consumption of sour cherries can increase the amount of melatonin in the body and thus support its regulation (7) .
When is the harvest time for sour cherries?
Sour cherry trees grow up to 50 cm per year and, depending on the variety, can reach a height of between 5 and 10 meters and a width of 4 to 6 meters. The flowering period is between April and May (8, 9) . In young trees, the first fruits form after about two to three years (1) .
The optimal time to harvest sour cherries is in July and August (7) . Even though sour cherry trees are among the most resilient trees, the weather conditions can significantly shorten the harvest time. This occurs especially when the weather remains particularly hot and dry (10) .
During this period, the fruit reaches its optimal ripeness. The most important indicator for determining the degree of ripeness is the color of the fruit . The polyphenols that give the fruit its red color are called anthocyanins . The higher their concentration in the fruit, the redder it becomes. Sour cherries with the highest anthocyanin content are riper and have a deep red color compared to young sour cherries (11) .
How are sour cherries harvested?
The typical method of harvesting sour cherries is done using mechanical devices. The trees are shaken so that the fruit is caught on the collection nets spread under the tree. In this way , up to 2 tons of sour cherries can be collected per hour . In comparison, four people picking by hand would manage about 50 kg of sour cherries per hour (12) . The sour cherries are harvested only once to reduce harvesting costs. It is crucial to pay attention to the ripeness of the fruit and to minimize the variability of fruit ripeness throughout the tree (11) .
However, during mechanical harvesting, sour cherries can be damaged by impact with a hard surface . This impact can cause the sour cherries to lose their firmness, which reduces their quality and causes difficulties in processing the fruit. For example, it makes pitting the sour cherries more difficult. It also leads to the fruit spoiling more quickly. For this reason, modern equipment has soft padding to preserve the quality of the fruit as much as possible (13) .
Conclusion
Sour cherries, cultivated for thousands of years, offer valuable ingredients such as polyphenols and melatonin as ripe, deep red fruits, especially in the Montmorency variety. The main growing areas are now worldwide, and the harvest takes place in summer, ideally gently to preserve quality and freshness. Above all, their polyphenol content makes the sour cherry, and especially the Montmorency variety, a valuable addition to a healthy and balanced diet.
The most important things in brief
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Sour cherries originate from the region around the Caspian Sea and have been cultivated for over 2000 years
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Today there are over 70 types of sour cherries that are rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements
- The Montmorency is a particularly healthy sour cherry variety because it contains particularly high amounts of polyphenols and melatonin
literature
- Hussain SZ. Fruits Grown in Highland Regions of the Himalayas: Nutritional and Health Benefits. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG; 2021. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/kxp/detail.action?docID=6643611.
- Blando F, Oomah BD. Sweet and sour cherries: Origin, distribution, nutritional composition and health benefits. Trends in Food Science & Technology 2019; 86:517–29. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2019.02.052.
- Müller S. Cherries - sweet, delicious and healthy. Center for Health 2024 [as of June 25, 2024]. Available at: https://www.zentrum-der-gesundheit.de/ernaehrung/lebensmittel/obst-fruechte/kirschen.
- Mansoori S, Dini A, Chai SC. Effects of tart cherry and its metabolites on aging and inflammatory conditions: Efficacy and possible mechanisms. Aging Res Rev 2021; 66:101254. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2021.101254.
- Fraga CG, Croft KD, Kennedy DO, Tomás-Barberán FA. The effects of polyphenols and other bioactives on human health. Food Function 2019; 10(2):514–28. doi: 10.1039/c8fo01997e.
- Chaovanalikit A, Wrolstad RE. Total Anthocyanins and Total Phenolics of Fresh and Processed Cherries and Their Antioxidant Properties. J Food Sci 2004; 69(1). doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2621.2004.tb17858.x.
- Burkhardt S, Tan DX, Manchester LC, Hardeland R, Reiter RJ. Detection and quantification of the antioxidant melatonin in Montmorency and Balaton tart cherries (Prunus cerasus). J Agric Food Chem 2001; 49(10):4898–902. doi: 10.1021/jf010321.
- Stephan H, Wichert M, Puhlmann T, Ahmed SH. Sour cherry; 2024 [As of October 8, 2024]. Available at: https://www.naturadb.de/pflanzen/prunus-cerasus/.
- Pirc H. Trees from A to Z: Recognizing and using them. 2nd ed. Stuttgart: Verlag Eugen Ulmer; 2012. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/kxp/detail.action?docID=6968323.
- Mayta Apaza AC, Marasini D, Carbonero F. Tart Cherries and health: Current knowledge and need for a better understanding of the fate of phytochemicals in the human gastrointestinal tract. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 2019; 59(4):626–38. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2017.1384918.
- Aslantas R, Angin I, Gokalp Boydas M, Ozkan G, Kara M. Fruit Characteristics and Detachment Parameters of Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus L. cv. 'Kütahya') as Affected by Various Maturity Stages. Commercial fruit growing 2016; 58(2):127–34. doi: 10.1007/s10341-016-0270-1.
- Mika A, Wawrzyńczak P, Buler Z, Krawiec A, Białkowski P, Michalska B et al. Results of Experiments with Densely Planted Sour Cherry Trees for Harvesting with a Continuously Moving Combine Harvester. Journal of Fruit and Ornamental Plant Research 2011; 19(2):31–40.
- Timm EJ, Guyer DE. Tart Cherry Firmness and Quality Changes During Mechanical Harvesting and Handling. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 1998; 14(2):153–8. doi: 10.13031/2013.19364.
