Wu’s Research Featured in Wild Blueberry Association of North America Blog

Vivian Chi-Hua Wu, professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Maine, is featured in a blog “Wild Blueberries Making a Name for Themselves in China” on the Wild Blueberry Association of North America website.

Wu, who grew up in Taiwan, says she enjoys introducing people in China to the health benefits of wild blueberries, and since 2009, she has worked with the Wild Blueberry Association of North America to do promotional tours in China and introduce chefs and foodservice buyers there to wild blueberries.

Wu has researched antimicrobial properties of wild blueberries and how wild blueberries maintain gut health. Her recent research, which she anticipates will be published soon, indicates phytochemicals in wild blueberries can fight Norovirus. The contagious virus causes a person’s stomach and/or intestines to become inflamed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Norovirus leads to the hospitalization of as many as 70,000 people annually in the United States and causes the death of approximately 800.