Epicuticular wax of blueberries

Consumption of blueberry across the world has risen mainly due to its well-known health benefits, such as low calorie and the presence of anticancer and antioxidant properties that prevent various diseases becoming an important component of a healthy diet.

They are covered in a protective coating of powdery epicuticular wax, colloquially known as the "bloom". The color of blueberries is greatly influenced by the state of their epicuticular wax, i.e., the presence of a rodlet wax structure that produces the glaucous effect responsible for the typical light blue color of blueberries.

These epicuticular waxes have diverse crystallization patterns, chemical compositions, and relative abundance that change with plant age, development and environment.

They are chemically multi-component mixtures, in which a particular compound or class of compounds prevails, such as lipophilic substance like long-chain fatty acids, as well as alkanes, ketones, exters and cyclic compounds such as pentacyclic triterpenes, phytosterols and flavonoids.

The physical and chemical properties of these surface waxes play an important role in plant resistance to a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses including these caused by fungal pathogens, phytophagous insects, and drought, solar radiation, freezing temperatures, mechanical abrasion and anthropogenic influences such as acid rain and ozone.
Epicuticular wax of blueberries