Tart cherry
Tart cherry suppliers and sourcing guide
Tart cherry is the fruit of Prunus cerasus, the sour cherry, with the Montmorency variety grown mainly in Michigan and other Great Lakes states and Balaton and other varieties in Europe. Pitted fruit is pressed into juice, concentrated, and sold as concentrate or dried into powder, often with a carrier. Brands buy juice concentrate for drinks and powder or skin extracts for capsules, sometimes standardized to anthocyanins.
- Category
- Botanicals and mushrooms
- Also known as
- Prunus cerasus · Montmorency cherry · sour cherry · tart cherry juice concentrate
- Facts checked
- November 2026
Forms and grades of tart cherry
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Juice concentrate
Concentrate around 68 Brix, sold frozen or aseptic for drinks and syrups.
Juice powder
Spray-dried or freeze-dried concentrate, often on a carrier, for capsules and powder blends.
Whole fruit powder
Dried and milled pitted fruit, including skin.
Anthocyanin-standardized extract
Concentrated extract with a declared anthocyanin percentage by HPLC or pH-differential method.
What to check on the COA
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
- Identity and variety
- Supplier statement of species and variety (for example Montmorency) with an anthocyanin profile by HPLC.
- Anthocyanin assay
- Total anthocyanins by HPLC or the pH-differential spectrophotometric method, stated as a cyanidin glucoside equivalent.
- Juice parameters
- Brix, pH and titratable acidity for concentrate; loss on drying for powders.
- Heavy metals
- Lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury by ICP-MS, checked against the buyer's limits and any Prop 65 exposure targets.
- Microbiology
- Total plate count, yeast and mold, E. coli and Salmonella (often Staphylococcus aureus too).
- Pesticide residues
- Multi-residue screen by GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS, required for organic claims and commonly requested for conventional material.
Storage, lots and expiry
Storage and shelf life
Store concentrate frozen or cold and sealed; once opened, use it quickly or refreeze per the supplier. Keep powder in sealed, lined containers away from heat and humidity because it is hygroscopic and the color fades with light and warmth. Shelf life comes from the supplier's spec and stability data.
Lots and expiry dates
Color, acidity and anthocyanins vary with variety, harvest year and concentration. Record supplier lot, variety, Brix or moisture and carrier, and rotate stock first-expiry-first-out.
Regulatory status
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
A Health Canada multi-ingredient natural health product monograph lists Prunus cerasus (tart cherry, sour cherry) with the dried or fresh fruit as the source part.
Source: webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca (opens in a new tab)21 CFR 145.125, the standard of identity for canned cherries, covers cherries of the red tart (red sour), light sweet or dark sweet varietal groups.
Source: ecfr.gov (opens in a new tab)
This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Tart cherry suppliers
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
We are checking tart cherry suppliers now
Every listing is checked against the supplier’s own website before it goes live, so this list fills in over the coming weeks. The specs and COA checklist above are ready today.
Sell tart cherry? Request a listingFrequently asked questions
What forms of tart cherry can brands buy?
Common forms include juice concentrate, juice powder, whole fruit powder and anthocyanin-standardized extract. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
What should the COA for tart cherry include?
Expect identity and variety, anthocyanin assay, juice parameters, heavy metals, microbiology and pesticide residues, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
How should tart cherry be stored?
Store concentrate frozen or cold and sealed; once opened, use it quickly or refreeze per the supplier. Keep powder in sealed, lined containers away from heat and humidity because it is hygroscopic and the color fades with light and warmth. Shelf life comes from the supplier's spec and stability data.
What is the regulatory status of tart cherry?
A Health Canada multi-ingredient natural health product monograph lists Prunus cerasus (tart cherry, sour cherry) with the dried or fresh fruit as the source part. 21 CFR 145.125, the standard of identity for canned cherries, covers cherries of the red tart (red sour), light sweet or dark sweet varietal groups.
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