AN AUSTRALIAN SUPERFOOD!
"No one believed something as simple as a plum could actually be a medicine"
Professor Lindsay Brown
The Queen Garnet
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The Queen Garnet or QG is a tasty, dark and juicy blood plum filled with healthy antioxidants which helps it achieve its Superfood status. Being nutritious isn’t the only thing the Queen Garnet has going for it though, it’s also mouth-watering to eat.
What makes the Queen Garnet unique is it's delicious flavour, especially considering it's high content of the healthy antioxidant known as 'anthocyanin' which can be sour tasting in other high content fruits.
These anthocyanins, which are also found in blueberries, and other purple fruit & vegetables, are what gives the fruit the dark purple flesh and are one of the key contributors of the QG’s health status. Anthocyanin rich foods have been used to treat high blood pressure, colds and anti-inflammatory problems. Recent research also suggests that anthocyanin’s may also help to fight against major health problems, including heart disease, cholesterol and cancer.
In 2014, scientist Professor Lindsay Brown of the University of Southern Queensland conducted trials on obese rats, with similar health problem’s humans have from being overweight. Initially the rats had high blood pressure, a fatty liver, poor heart function and arthritis. By simply adding QG plum juice, without changing their unhealthy diet, the rats lost weight, while their blood pressure, fat levels, as well as liver and heart function all returned to normal levels. For more information about the trials visit: www.abc.net.au/local/archives/landline/content/2015/s4180101.htm
Bred near Stanthorpe by the Queensland DPI, the QG could be considered a stroke of luck. During the process of trying to create a new plum variety that could combat a common bacterial disease they happened to create an extremely dark skinned and dark fleshed plum. After noticing the distinctiveness of this new plum they took a closer look and discovered the fruit was full of healthy anthocyanins and other health giving properties, and commercialised the variety.
Just another reason why the Queen Garnet is mighty special!
