Assessment of the anthocyanidin content of common fruits and development of a test diet rich in a range of anthocyanins

Abstract

There is significant interest in the beneficial health properties of anthocyanins/anthocyanidins. Future investigations into their physiological effects will require human intervention with precise amounts of anthocyanins/anthocyanidins. We have investigated the total anthocyanin/anthocyanidin content of common berry fruits and designed an intervention diet intended to deliver a balanced profile of different anthocyanidins. Using acid hydrolysis and HPLC-diode array analysis we report the individual profile and total anthocyanidin profile/content of blueberry (148.76 mg/100 g FW), blackberry (76.78 mg/100 g FW), cranberry (19.30 mg/100 g FW), black grape (28.09 mg/100 g FW), raspberry (104.38 mg/100 g FW) and strawberry (41.09 mg/100 g FW). The measured anthocyanidin content in the various fruits was used to design an intervention diet (15 g of blueberry, 5 g of blackberry, 30 g cranberry, 20 g of grape, 5 g of raspberry and 25 g of strawberry; 100 g mixed fruit portion) capable of delivering high amounts of the six main anthocyanidins.