Prospecting Antioxidant Capacities and Health-Enhancing Phytonutrient Contents of Southern Highbush Blueberry Wine Compared to Grape Wines and Fruit Liquors

Abstract

Blueberry wines may have a multitude of health benefits, but few studies have quantified the health-enhancing antioxidants, total phenols, anthocyanins and flavonoids in blueberry wines, especially the Southern highbush blueberry wine, in comparison to grape wines and fruit liquors. This study was initiated to fill such a gap by measuring the antioxidant capacity and key phytonutrients of Southern highbush blueberry wine as compared to red, Rose and white wines and fruit liquors. The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of the Southern highbush blueberry wine tested in this study ranged from 18.54 to 25.48 mmol TE/L, with an average of 22.57 ± 2.92 mmol TE/L. This was higher than the ORAC values of over 80% of the red wines and 100% of the Rose and white wines reported in literature. A majority of the red wines were higher, but all the Rose and white wines and most fruit liquors were lower in total phenolic content than the Southern highbush blueberry wine. Anthocyanin contents of the blueberry wines were generally comparable to those of the red wines. Results show that blueberry wines could be more potent than most red, Rose and white wines in health enhancement and disease prevention from the antioxidant perspective.