Blackcurrants: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Blackcurrants are the small, dark purple-black berries of Ribes nigrum, a shrub in the gooseberry family (Grossulariaceae). The whole berry is eaten, but it is tart, so it is most often cooked, sweetened, or made into juice, jam and cordial. People eat it mainly for its vitamin C and its dark pigments (anthocyanins). This page keeps the whole fruit apart from juices, extracts and powders, and apart from hype.

Read this first

• Blackcurrants are an everyday food and the sources we read describe no specific safety problem for eating them. As with any food, an allergic reaction is possible. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911. See food allergy basics and emergency signs.
• Blackcurrants are a very rich source of vitamin C: one cup has more than twice the Daily Value (USDA). [1] Eating them helps cover vitamin C needs; it is not proof that they prevent illness.
• Nearly all human trials of health effects used a blackcurrant drink, juice or extract, often in small groups and for one day, not a bowl of berries. [4][5][6][7]
• No study we read shows that blackcurrants prevent or treat a disease.

What is in it (USDA values)

European black currants, raw (USDA FoodData Central 173963, SR Legacy). [1] Serving: 1 cup (112 g). Per-serving numbers are the USDA per-100 g value multiplied by 1.12 and rounded. USDA lists no value for fiber, sugars, folate or vitamin K in this item.

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; values vary with variety, ripeness and storage. (Iron per cup is 9.6% of the Daily Value, shown rounded.) Source: USDA FDC 173963. [1]

The main plant compounds studied in blackcurrant are anthocyanins, dark pigments in the polyphenol family. In one human trial, a 200 mL blackcurrant drink supplied 744 mg of polyphenols, of which 711 mg were anthocyanins. [6] That drink was a prepared beverage, not the raw fruit. We did not read a source giving the anthocyanin content of raw berries, so we give no figure. Human evidence for these compounds is in the table below; much other blackcurrant research is in the lab and was not used here. See polyphenols and flavonoids in foods.

What research says

Eaten as food vs taken as a supplement or extract. Most blackcurrant trials used New Zealand blackcurrant extract, juice or a prepared drink. [4][5][6][7] Results for these products do not automatically apply to eating the berries, and the reverse. The sports trials were done in active adults, mostly short term. We did not find a trial of eating raw blackcurrants for a health outcome: Proper evidence not found in the sources we read.

How much is a normal serving

The USDA household portion for raw black currants is 1 cup (112 g). [1] This is information, not a prescription. We could not read the MyPlate page for an official daily fruit figure, so we do not quote one. Fresh, frozen, canned, dried and juice forms differ in sugar and vitamin content: Proper evidence not found in the sources we read. Sweetened juice drinks, cordials and jams can have much more sugar than the berries, so check the label. See fruit juice vs whole fruit and fresh, frozen and canned produce.

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Allergy. We found no blackcurrant-specific allergy source we could read. Any food can cause an allergic reaction. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911. See food allergy basics and emergency signs.
• Vitamin C from food versus pills. NHS says taking more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C a day as supplements may cause stomach pain, diarrhea and gas, and that these stop when the supplements are stopped. [2] That is about supplements, not berries.
• Kidney stones. Supplemental vitamin C raises urine oxalate, but it is not known whether this raises stone risk; people prone to stones may consider avoiding high-dose supplements. [3] This is about supplements. We did not read a source on eating blackcurrants and kidney stones, so we make no claim. See kidney disease, potassium and oxalates.
• Potassium. A cup has about 8% of the potassium Daily Value (USDA). [1] People with kidney disease or on potassium-affecting medicines should ask a clinician about potassium-rich foods; we did not read a blackcurrant-specific source.
• Medicines. We did not find a source we could read about blackcurrant as a food and any medicine, including blood thinners, so we make no claim either way. A pharmacist can check. See foods and medicine interactions.
• Concentrated products. Extracts and powders used in trials are not the same as the berry. The studies we read did not report serious harm, but they were small and short, so they cannot rule out rarer problems. [4][5][6]
• Pregnancy. We found no blackcurrant-specific warning or advice in the sources we read. See foods in pregnancy.
• Pesticide residues. Proper evidence not found: we did not read an official residue report for blackcurrants.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Choose produce that is not bruised or damaged. [10]
• Wash produce under running water, without soap, detergent or produce wash, and dry it with a clean cloth or paper towel. [10]
• Keep perishable fresh produce in a refrigerator at 40°F or below. [10] The FDA page names strawberries rather than currants, but the advice is general for perishable produce.

Related pages

• Berries: strawberries, raspberries and blackberries
• Blueberries
• Polyphenols and flavonoids in foods
• Fruit juice vs whole fruit
• Fresh, frozen and canned produce
• Food allergy basics and emergency signs