A palm-sized blueberry has entered the record books after being officially crowned as the world’s heaviest.
The whopping fruit weighing in at 20.4g (0.71oz) and measuring 39.31mm across was grown by the Costa Group in New South Wales, Australia.
Picked on 13 November, 2023, it has now been recognised by the Guinness World Records.
There has been a shift towards larger fruit for snacking. Pic: Costa Group
The blueberry, which is of the Eterna variety, was cultivated as part of Costa’s variety improvement programme (VIP) by Brad Hocking, Jessica Scalzo and Marie-France Courtois.
The previous record-holder was for a 16.2g berry grown in Western Australia in 2020.
Mr Hocking said the Eterna variety was known for its large fruit size, crisp texture and long shelf life.
He added: “Eterna as a variety has a really great flavour and consistently large fruit.
“When we picked this one, there were probably around 20 other berries of a similar size.
“This really is a delightful piece of fruit.”
But he stressed: “While the fruit is large, there’s absolutely no compromise on quality or flavour as would be expected when developing a premium variety blueberry.”
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It was cultivated to meet the growing demand for bigger produce, with the shift from using fruit in baking and on breakfast cereal to snacking.
Costa’s VIP scheme, which is headquartered at Corindi around 200 miles (350km) south of Brisbane, has been operating for more than 25 years, developing on average one to two new varieties of blueberries of global commercial value each year.
George Jessett, Costa’s international horticulture manager, said: “We are always looking to develop new varieties that improve on the current benchmark and meet evolving customer requirements.
“We are also looking to breed varieties that are more adaptable to hotter climates, are more drought tolerant and with better resistance against pest and disease pressure.”
Whow! That’s berry impressive! I wonder if they’ll make a pie out of it.
This is amazing! I love blueberries, and now I know that they can get even bigger than I thought. I can’t wait to try one of these giant berries.
I was hoping for something more substantial. This is just a silly story about a big blueberry.
I wonder what caused this blueberry to grow so large. Could it be a genetic mutation?
Blueberries are actually a type of berry known as a drupe, which means they have a single seed surrounded by a fleshy fruit. They are native to North America and are a good source of antioxidants.
It’s funny how the smallest things can sometimes make the biggest news.
Oh, wow, a giant blueberry. That’s the most exciting thing I’ve heard all day.
This is the berry best news I’ve heard all day!
I find it hard to believe that a blueberry could get that big. Maybe it’s just a clever camera trick.