Barberry
Introduction:
Beautiful red-colored barberries are obtained from evergreen trees with bright foliage. Probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear barberry is the sour taste or the red color of barberry.
Barberry is a healthy fruit that is full of high nutrients and countless benefits. This unique plant, which is native to Iran, also helps human health in an excellent way.
Red barberry is one of the strategic products of Iran, because it is not compatible with any climate and does not bear fruit. Iran is considered the world’s largest barberry producer and supplies more than 95% of the world’s seedless red barberry.
Qaenat city is the largest barberry producer in Iran and the world.
The most popular barberry that is used for export is known as “Pofaki (or puffs) barberry”.
Irani barberry can be exported in different types. For example, it is possible to export high-quality puffs barberry and second-grade pomegranate seed barberry or even black barberry for medicinal purposes.
If the purchase of barberry is for food industries for production of concentrate, barberry paste, or barberry sauce, the quality of the appearance of the barberry is not very important. It does not matter whether the barberry seeds are small or large. Because it is crushed and its juice is taken. But if the purchased barberry is to be packaged or used directly in food or restaurants, its appearance quality is also important.
If you intend to import barberry from Iran, do not miss the continuation of this article:
Varieties of barberry:
Barberry is one of the products that is included in the category of dried fruits. Types of barberry can be divided into the following two types:
- Mountain barberry or wild: which grows naturally in nature and grows mostly in rainy areas.
- Garden or cultivable barberry such as pomegranate seed barberry and puff barberry
Barberry is dehumidified in three ways (drying methods) and becomes a dry fruit:
- Dry sun
- Dry shade
- Industrial
Harvest time can also be divided into three levels:
- Early October
- Late October
- Mid-October
Cultivable barberry types:
Among the types of garden and cultivable barberry, there are the pomegranate seed type and the puffy type, which are named because of the drying process:
Puffy barberry:
It is the best and most expensive type of barberry. Puff barberry is dried away from the sun and during a process of three to six months. Due to the long production process of this barberry, this barberry has a stunning quality and color.
To produce barberry in the form of puffs, the product must be separated from the tree with a branch.
Branches with barberry seeds are transported to the processing halls using a basket.
These halls or sheds, where the passage of air flows well, are called “bargah zereshk” or “talar zereshk” in the eastern region of Iran. In these halls, using wood and metal bases, classified shelves are made in the hall. These floors and shelves should be placed at a distance from each other so that the air flow can pass easily.
To speed up this drying method, a fan is also used in the salon.
The barberry that is prepared by this drying method has the lowest volume mass and is sold in the market under the name of puffy barberry.
One of the most important features of puffy barberry is its light color and puffy shape.
This product has the lowest amount of moisture and is popular in the market of different countries. Germany, Canada, Iraq and Kuwait are the main buyers of Iranian red puff barberry.
Puff barberry is the best type of export barberry.
The best quality barberry and the most beautiful red barberry is puffy barberry, now if we want to export puffy barberry, we must keep the following things in mind that our puffy barberry should:
- Sorted and handpicked.
- It should be nice and uniform.
- All the seeds should be coarse and free of fluff.
- Moisture percentage of exported barberry should be between 12 and 15
- Exported barberry packaging must have production and expiration date and net weight.
- Not oiled.
Pomegranate seed barberry:
Pomegranate seed barberry is spread out in front of the sun and dried with the help of the sun. To prevent the stored barberries from rotting, they constantly move the barberries. This type of barberry has a better price.
We need about 1 to 2 months to dry pomegranate seed barberry.
In this method, the barberry is turned upside down every few days so that it dries completely evenly.
The most important features of pomegranate seed barberry are:
dark color and high crushing percentage (these are also due to the way the product is dried).
Pomegranate seed barberry also has buyers in different countries.
The largest volume of exports of this product is related to Russia, Turkey, Pakistan and Ukraine.
The difference between pomegranate seeds and puff barberry
Pomegranate seed barberry and puff barberry are both products of red barberry. The only difference between these two types of barberry is in their processing.
The process of processing puffy barberry is done in dark halls and it takes about 6 months, that’s why it looks like a puff and is considered one of the luxury types of red barberry.
Pomegranate barberry dries in a shorter period of time and in front of the sun, and because of this, it does not have the appearance of puffy barberry and is sold at a more reasonable price.
The best barberry is produced in the dry shade method, which is the same as puffy barberry. The price of puff barberry is higher than other types of barberry.
Where is the barberry production center of Iran?
It is interesting to know that about 98% of Iran’s barberry is produced in South Khorasan province and in this province more than 40% of barberry production belongs to Qaenat city. This city is generally known as the capital of barberry and saffron.
Medicinal properties of barberry
Barberry has many properties and has been used in the past and traditional Iranian medicine to treat the following conditions:
- Jaundice treatment
- Treatment of varicose veins
- Eliminating anorexia
- Treatment of hemorrhoids
- Reliever of gout
- and…
One of the most important components of the barberry plant is berberine, which is present in its various parts. Studies show that berberine in barberry reduces cholesterol and blood sugar and can help prevent Alzheimer’s and neoplastic diseases.
In addition, berberine has antimicrobial, antifungal and antioxidant properties.
In addition to berberine, barberry contains thiamin, vitamin B1, beta-carotene, lutein, xanthine, chromium, cobalt, and zinc.
Due to the presence of some antibacterial and antifungal agents, barberry can help treat infectious diseases, especially infections of the digestive tract.
Barberry helps treat sore throats and some mild conditions, such as the common cold. This is due to the presence of vitamin C in barberry. Barberry is a natural solution to reduce blood sugar levels. Antioxidants are necessary to fight free radicals and improve the immune system.
Barberry can protect your body against microbial attacks in the lung and urinary tract. You should consume barberry during sinusitis, bronchitis, sore throat, or nasal congestion.
Barberry helps reduce inflammation. In cases of food poisoning, barberry can be used as a home remedy. It controls cholesterol levels, relaxes blood vessels and manages blood pressure, and is great for the heart.
The properties of berberine in barberry is a special herbal medicine for the treatment of many diseases. Berberine has anticonvulsant properties that can treat epilepsy.
In addition to the above, barberry consumption also has these benefits: maintaining liver health, lowering blood pressure, maintaining skin and hair health, burning fat, controlling diabetes, helping to treat diarrhea, protecting against metabolic syndrome, helping teeth health, Anti-cancer properties, treating sore throat, improving indigestion, improving eye health, stimulating the production of white blood cells, optimizing iron absorption, etc.
Uses of barberry
You can use barberry in making jam, sour cream, marmalade, juice, jelly, powder, tea, etc. You can also use its extract, which is rich in barberry properties. In addition to that, the forms of barberry powder and barberry tea can also be used.
What are the characteristics of high-quality barberry?
Quality barberry has features that are easily recognizable.
- Good color and fresh appearance: One of the characteristics of a good barberry is that it should be bright red in color and have a plump and prominent appearance.
If the color of the barberry is dark or the appearance of the barberry is crumpled, then the barberry is not fresh and does not have good quality.
- The taste of barberry: a good barberry has an excellent and pleasant taste, and its taste is not annoying. Old barberry has a similar bitter taste and is unpleasant for the consumer.
- Barberry moisture: high-quality barberry has moisture. You can easily feel the remaining moisture in the fresh and quality barberry.
Price of barberry
In general, puff barberry has a higher price than pomegranate seed barberry. But some parameters are also effective in barberry price.
For example, one of the most important points in the preparation of barberry for export is the absence of any waste materials such as branches, leaves, pebbles, sand, etc. among the barberry.
The second characteristic of a high-quality export barberry is the use of the lowest possible amount of oil among the barberry.
The third feature, which is one of the most important issues in the export of this product, is the type of export barberry packaging to prevent pests.
Another feature that should be paid attention to in the export of barberry, and affects the price of the product, is shipping and transportation of barberry. Refrigerated containers must be used in hot seasons or long sea routes.
All the above points affect the price of barberry.
Barberry export from Iran
The main export destinations of Iran’s barberry are various Asian, European and American countries.
Among the main importers of Iranian barberry, the following countries can be mentioned:
- Germany
- Türkiye
- Russia
- Romania
- Afghanistan
- Canada
- Norway
- Italy
- Oman
- Emirates
- Pakistan
- Canada
- Poland
Barberry is usually sent to these countries in bulk.
There are various packaging companies in the mentioned countries that offer this product in small packages in the market.
Barberry buying season
- The buying season for pomegranate seed barberry is from the end of December to the beginning of April. After April, pomegranate seeds barberry are hard to find in the market.
- The season for buying puffed barberry is from April to December. In winter, it is rare to find a good puff barberry.
- The season for buying fresh barberries is autumn. From late October to December. After this period, fresh barberry is available in frozen form.
HAVA Foods is your business partner for supplying high-quality export barberry from Iran
If you are looking to import barberry from Iran to your country, you should consider several things so that you can be assured of a reliable product.
To start cooperation, just send us an LOI through our email. After receiving the LOI and reviewing it, we will get back to you as soon as possible with the best offers.
