Evolution of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L), raspberry (Rubus idaeus L) and strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) research: 2012–2021

Abstract

Blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are soft fruits marketed worldwide, with unique sensory, nutritional and biological properties. This bibliometric comparative analysis aims to analyse the published scientific research in order to provide a valuable and important reference for berry growers, the fruit industry, health personnel and scientists in berry research communities. The Scopus database was utilised for bibliometric analysis of scientific articles on blueberry, raspberry and strawberry fruits published in English in the last decade (2012 to 2021). The publishing trends in blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry research were increased, with strawberry research showing the most significant increase. The top country and institutions researching the three berries were in the United States, followed by China. The top journal was Hortscience for blueberries and Scientia Horticulturae for raspberry and strawberry. The top authors were Drummond FA, Stoner GD and Peres NA for blueberry, raspberry and strawberry, respectively. The most frequent keywords concerning these berries were analyzed and clustered in thematic groups. Core keywords related to functional foods, medicinal properties, as well as fruit quality and gene expression themes were identified. Apart from medicinal and fruit quality themes, the biological control theme was also identified to be relevant in future research.