Contents of anthocyanins and ellagitannins in selected foods consumed in Finland.
Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have suggested that dietary anthocyanins and ellagitannins or ellagic acid might have beneficial health effects. Epidemiological evidence on the disease-preventing potential of these polyphenols is lacking, due to the absence of reliable data on their contents in foods. In this study was analyzed the content of anthocyanins and ellagitannins (as ellagic acid equivalents after acid hydrolysis) in foods consumed in Finland, including berries, fruits, vegetables, and processed products, using high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods. Anthocyanins were detected in 41 of 54 selected food items. The total anthocyanin content varied in berries from 1 to 611 mg/100 g, in fruits from 2 to 66 mg/100 g, and in vegetables from 3 to 75 mg/100 g of fresh weight as the weight of the aglycone. Ellagitannins were screened in 33 food items, but were detected only in 5 species of berries, that is, in cloudberry, raspberry, rose hip, strawberry, and sea buckthorn, the content ranging from 1 to 330 mg/100 g. The results underscore the superiority of berries, especially dark blue or red berries, as excellent sources of anthocyanins and certain berries of the Rosaceae family as the major source of ellagitannins in the Finnish diet.
Koponen
Jani M
JM
Food and Health Research Centre, Department of Clinical Nutrition, University of Kuopio, P.O. Box 1627, FIN-70211 Kuopio, Finland. Jani.Koponen@uku.fi
Happonen
Anu M
AM
Mattila
Pirjo H
PH
Törrönen
A Riitta
AR
D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000032:analysis*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004032:Diet; D005387:Finland; D005504:Food Analysis; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D047348:Hydrolyzable Tannins / Q000032:analysis*; D027824:Rosaceae / Q000737:chemistry; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry
D000872:Anthocyanins; D047348:Hydrolyzable Tannins