Antioxidant Capacity As Influenced by Total Phenolic and Anthocyanin Content, Maturity, and Variety of Vaccinium Species

J. Agric. Food Chem., 46 (7), 2686 -2693, 1998. jf980145d S0021-8561(98)00145-9
Web Release Date: June 19, 1998

Antioxidant Capacity As Influenced by Total Phenolic and Anthocyanin Content, Maturity, and Variety of Vaccinium Species

Ronald L. Prior,* Guohua Cao, Antonio Martin, Emin Sofic, John McEwen, Christine O'Brien, Neal Lischner, Mark Ehlenfeldt, Willy Kalt, Gerard Krewer, and C. Mike Mainland

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, 711 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, Nutritional Science Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USDA-ARS, Blueberry and Cranberry Research Center, Chatsworth, New Jersey 08019, Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4N 1J5, Horticulture Department, University of Georgia, Tifton, Georgia 31793, and Horticultural Crops Research Station, Castle Hayne, North Carolina 28429

Received for review February 17, 1998. Revised manuscript received April 30, 1998. Accepted May 7, 1998. Supported in part by grant from the North American Blueberry Council, El Dorado Hills, CA. Mention of a trade name, proprietary product, or specific equipment does not constitute a guarantee by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may be suitable.

Abstract:

Different cultivars of four Vaccinium species [Vaccinium corymbosum L (Highbush), Vaccinium ashei Reade (Rabbiteye), Vaccinium angustifolium (Lowbush), and Vaccinium myrtillus L (Bilberry)] were analyzed for total phenolics, total anthocyanins, and antioxidant capacity (oxygen radical absorbance capacity, ORAC). The total antioxidant capacity of different berries studied ranged from a low of 13.9 to 45.9 mol Trolox equivalents (TE)/g of fresh berry (63.2-282.3 mol TE/g of dry matter) in different species and cultivars of Vaccinium. Brightwell and Tifblue cultivars of rabbiteye blueberries were harvested at 2 times, 49 days apart. Increased maturity at harvest increased the ORAC, the anthocyanin, and the total phenolic content. The growing location (Oregon vs Michigan vs New Jersey) did not affect ORAC, anthocyanin or total phenolic content of the cv. Jersey of highbush blueberries. A linear relationship existed between ORAC and anthocyanin (r_xy = 0.77) or total phenolic (r_xy = 0.92) content. In general, blueberries are one of the richest sources of antioxidant phytonutrients of the fresh fruits and vegetables we have studied.

Keywords: Vitamin C; ascorbate; blueberry; bilberry; highbush; lowbush; rabbiteye; ORAC; HPLC

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