Balaton Cherry Hits the Mainstream with Promise
Associate Editor
“It is a superior cherry for juice – the primary use of tart cherries,” said Phil Korson, president of the Cherry Marketing Institute. “And, because of its deep red pigment, it won’t require red coloring for pie fillings,” he said.
Because of its increased sweetness over the more traditional Montmorency variety, the Balaton requires fewer pounds to make a gallon of concentrate, according to Korson.
Researchers and growers hope the firmness of the fruits and its ability to maintain a vibrant red color may open the door for fresh-market tart cherries.
“This is something the American consumer has never been able to have because Montmorency, because of its softness and problems with discoloration, does not withstand shipping and storage,” said Amy Iezzoni, Michigan State University (MSU) horticulture professor and plant breeder.
In 1983, Iezzoni went to Hungary and brought back the Balaton, named after the largest fresh water lake in Hungary. Test plots were planted and commercial planting started six years ago. The 2000 crop will offer the first significant production of about 100,000 pounds.
Iezzoni said a certain number of growers can take a new variety risk. “We may have saturated the risk takers, but it’s hard to tell at this point,” she said. “We know there are growers who are waiting until the market has been established.”
Earl Peterson, a grower and processor in Shelby, Mich. is in his third year of growing Balaton cherries. “There’s pent-up market demand. Today very little volume is available,” said Peterson who has planted 150,000 Balaton trees on 150 acres.
“Within five years several million pounds will be available – as much as five million pounds,” said Peterson.
Jim Nugent, coordinator of the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Experiment Station, organized a Balaton Marketing Committee of growers and processors to make sure the variety is marketed in a positive way. This committee is now led by Tom Kalchik, the new value-added Extension agent at the Clarksville Horticultural Extension Station.
“Balaton is a slightly larger cherry than the Montmorency. It’s firmer and maintains its shape,” Nugent said. Because it’s a red juice cherry, the variety has attracted the attention of manufacturers who are interested in the healthy attributes of cherries – their antioxidant characteristics and anti-inflammatory properties.
“The red pigment is found throughout the flesh of fruit,” Nugent said. He said the Balaton has a three-fold increase in antioxidants, compared to Montmorency.
Besides the healthy characteristics of the Balaton, Nugent said there may be other niches for the cherry in the marketplace that will not take the place of current markets. The Balaton’s higher sugar contents are similar to sweet cherries.
While the Balaton yields a little less than the Montmorency, that may not be all bad. “By having fewer fruit on the tree, the tree will have all the resources it needs to mature the fruit well,” Iezzoni said. “It will provide for consistent good quality, which is everything with fruit.”
The long-term hope for the Balaton is for consumers to demand it. “The cherry industry with the Montmorency is similar to the apple industry a few years back with the Red Delicious,” Iezzoni said. “It took the Granny Smith to break that monopoly and now there are a lot of choices for consumers. If the fresh market develops for tart cherries, consumers will then have some choices.”
Unfortunately, most growers of the Balaton and the Montmorency are experiencing lower yields because of warm weather in March followed by freeze damage, according to Iezzoni.
Michigan leads the nation in the production of tart cherries, harvesting about three-fourths of the U.S. crop. Wisconsin, Utah, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Washington also have commercial tart cherry orchards.
Research at MSU has shown that compounds in tart cherries have many health benefits. Tart cherries are an excellent source of compounds with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, according to the research.
Latest research on the health benefits of tart cherries:
• The same chemicals that give tart cherries their color may relieve pain better than aspirin and ibuprofen.
• Cherries may provide antioxidant protection comparable to commercially available supplements, such as vitamin E and vitamin C.
• Eating about 20 tart cherries per day could reduce inflammatory pain and benefit the consumer with antioxidant protection.
• Twenty tart cherries contain 12–25 milligrams of active antioxidant compounds.
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