New superfruit soon to be commercialised

A new berry could soon be on the market, thanks to work by the University of Queensland (UQ). Professor Daryl Joyce of UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences has been selecting and evaluating new varieties of the ancient Chinese red bayberry fruit (Myrica rubra) for commercialisation in Australia.

Not widely propagated outside of China, red bayberries (also known as Yan Mei) are a similar size to lychees and are prized in China for their refreshing flavour and perceived health benefits. The fruit has high levels of antioxidants and other potentially beneficial phytochemicals and is claimed to be antibacterial, antiviral, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and antiallergenic.

In comparison with other recently commercialised ‘superfruits’ which are often marketed as relatively lower value processed or dried products, the bayberry has a pleasant fresh taste. Although not a true berry, the bayberry looks similar to a berry and is deep red in colour.

The fruit’s sugar-to-acid balance is reportedly agreeable to the European palate, and it has been described as similar to mulberry in flavour.

As a tree fruit crop, the bayberry is expected to cost less to produce than raspberries and blueberries, but will still command a premium price.

New varieties of the fruit are closer to a global market launch following a licensing agreement with grower-owned berry production and marketing company Y.V. Fresh. UniQuest, a UQ research commercialisation company, negotiated the deal after successful trials with growers along the east coast, engagement with tree propagators and fruit marketing companies, and a number of fruit test marketing activities.

A partnership between UniQuest, UQ, YV Fresh and Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) will help establish the red bayberry industry in Australia with government and industry funding.

“Partnering with one of the Australian berry industry’s major stakeholders is a significant move forward for the red bayberry project in terms of market readiness, and also because YV Fresh will be funding ongoing R&D, and that will be supported with a HAL grant,” said UniQuest Managing Director David Henderson.

“UniQuest has licensed the UQ red bayberry Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) to YV Fresh so that they and their sub-licensees can propagate trees for fruit production and sell that fruit.

“YV Fresh has also licensed the Ruhbi trademark from UniQuest, which will become the product’s brand. Thus, it’s a multilevel intellectual property deal involving royalties from both the use of the trademark and the sale of trees propagated under the PBR licence in Australia and New Zealand,” Henderson said.

Professor Joyce developed the new varieties in collaboration with colleagues from the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The project received funding from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) to develop the varieties for commercialisation.

Bayberry trees are thriving in Queensland and Victoria, Professor Joyce said, with commercial yields of the fruit possible just three years after transplanting well-developed nursery plants.