|
In 2000 the
Produce for Better
Health Foundation,
in collaboration
with the USDA,
undertook a
project to assay a
broad range of
fruits, vegetables
and nuts for
antioxidants and
other
phytonutrient
compounds. They
utilized a
'market-basket'
sampling technique
that involved
collecting samples
from supermarkets
in 24 cities
(rural, urban, and
suburban), that
statistically
represent the US
population. The
purpose of the
study was to
develop the most
comprehensive
standardized
phytonutrient
database to date.
Sun World, a
founding sponsor
of the
5-a-Day Program
was offered an
opportunity to
include BLACK
DIAMOND®
brand plums in the
study. Sun World
felt that its line
of BLACK
DIAMOND plum
varieties, with
their
characteristic
red-flesh and black
skin, would rate
higher in
antioxidant
capacity than
other plums in the
study due to their
high
concentrations of
antioxidant-rich
pigments.
Read:
Plant Pigments
Paint a Rainbow of
Antioxidants.
The results,
in a
November 2007 USDA
report showed that
Sun World's line
of BLACK
DIAMOND brand plum
varieties
have high levels
of antioxidant
carotenoids and flavonoids
and a high total
ORAC value (page
24 of report). BLACK
DIAMOND plums not
only beat out
other plums in the
study, but with a
total ORAC value
of 7581, they were
15.7% higher than
Blueberries with
regard to
antioxidant
capacity (see
table).
|
Top
Antioxidant
Fruits
and
Vegetables* |
|
[Total
ORAC
value
per
100
grams**] |
|
Fruits |
|
|
Fruits, cont |
|
|
Cranberries |
9584 |
|
Grapefruit,
Pink |
1548 |
|
BLACK
DIAMOND®
Plums |
7581 |
|
Grapes,
Red |
1260 |
|
Plums,
Dried
(Prunes) |
6552 |
|
Lemons |
1225 |
|
Blueberries |
6552 |
|
Kiwi,
Gold |
1210 |
|
Plums,
Mixed |
6259 |
|
Grapes,
White |
1118 |
|
Blackberries |
5347 |
|
Apricots |
1115 |
|
Raspberries |
4882 |
|
Mangos |
1002 |
|
Strawberries |
3577 |
|
Vegetables |
|
|
Figs |
3383 |
|
Artichokes |
6552 |
|
Cherries |
3365 |
|
Cabbage,
Red |
2252 |
|
Apples,
Mixed |
3082 |
|
Asparagus |
2150 |
|
Raisins |
3037 |
|
Beets |
1767 |
|
Avocados,
Hass |
1933 |
|
Radishes |
1736 |
|
Pears,
green |
1911 |
|
Onions,
Red |
1521 |
|
Oranges,
navels |
1819 |
|
Spinach |
1515 |
|
Peaches |
1814 |
|
Lettuce,
Leaf |
1447 |
|
Pears,
Red
Anjou |
1746 |
|
Broccoli |
1362 |
|
Tangerines |
1620 |
|
Potatoes,
Russet |
1322 |
|
*Source:
Oxygen
Radical
Absorbance
Capacity
(ORAC)
of
Selected
Foods-2007,
USDA-ARS
Nutrition
Data
Laboratory.
Link:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=15866
**umol
TE/100
g |
|
download print
version
The Importance of
ORAC Measurement
-From 'Can
Antioxidant Foods
Forestall Aging?'
-USDA Food and
Nutrition Research
Briefs in April
1999.
Foods that
score high in an
antioxidant assay
called ORAC
(Oxygen Radical
Absorbance
Capacity) may
protect cells and
their components
from damage by
oxygen radicals,
according to
studies of animals
and human blood.
ORAC measures the
total antioxidant
power of foods and
other chemical
substances. Early
findings suggest
that eating plenty
of high-ORAC
fruits and
vegetables—such as
spinach and
blueberries—may
help slow the
processes
associated with
aging in both body
and brain.
Two human
studies
show that eating
high-ORAC fruits
and vegetables or
simply doubling
intake of fruits
and
vegetables—both
naturally high in
antioxidants—raises
the antioxidant
power of the blood
between 13 and 25
percent. The
studies are
published in the
Journal of
Nutrition (vol.
128, pp.
2383-2390) and the
American
Journal of
Clinical Nutrition
(vol. 68, pp.
1081-1087).
Early
evidence for the
protective power
of high-ORAC foods
comes from rat
studies. Rats fed
daily doses of
blueberry extract
for six weeks
before being
subjected to pure
oxygen suffered
much less damage
to the capillaries
in and around
their lungs. In
other tests,
middle-aged rats
were fed diets
fortified with
spinach or
strawberry extract
or vitamin E for
nine months. A
daily dose of
spinach extract
prevented some
loss of long-term
memory and
learning ability
normally
experienced by
15-month-old rats.
Spinach also
proved most potent
in protecting
different types of
nerve cells in two
separate parts of
the brain against
the effects of
aging, the
researchers
reported in the
Journal of
Neuroscience
(vol. 18, pp.
8047-8055).
|
