Antioxidant capacity of Brazilian fruit, vegetables and commercially-frozen fruit pulps

Several epidemiological and research studies suggest that a high intake of foods rich in natural antioxidants increases the antioxidant capacity of the plasma and reduces the risk of some kinds of cancers, heart diseases, and stroke. These health benefits are attributed to a variety of constituents, including vitamins, minerals, fiber, and numerous phytochemicals, such as flavonoids. Thus, in addition to measuring the composition of the usual macronutrients and micronutrients, it seems important to also measure the antioxidant capacity of foods. For this purpose, 28 foods including fruits, vegetables and commercially-frozen fruit pulps were analyzed for antioxidant capacity. The antioxidant capacity of the foods varied from 0.73 to 19.8 μmol BHT equiv/g. The highest values were observed for wild mulberries (19.8 μmol BHT equiv/g), acaí fruit pulp (18.2 μmol BHT equiv/g) and watercress (9.6 μmol BHT equiv/g). The antioxidant capacities are only indicative of the potential of the bioactive compounds; however, these data are important to explore and understand the role of fruit, vegetables and other foods in health promotion.