Antioxidant Content of Whole Grain Breakfast Cereals, Fruits and Vegetables
ABSTRACT
Background: Considerable scientific evidence suggests that wholegrains, as commonly consumed in the United States and Europe,reduce risk for chronic disease including cancer and heart disease.Whole grains provide a wide range of nutrients and phytochemicalsthat may work synergistically to optimize human health. Fruitsand vegetables provide protection against age related diseases.It is believed their high content of antioxidant compounds iskey to such protection.
Objective: This research compares the antioxidant activity ofwhole grain, ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals to that offruits and vegetables.
Method: Antioxidant activity was determined by dispersing finelyground samples in a 50% aqueous methanol solution of the stablefree radical 2,2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). DPPH, whichforms a deep purple solution, reacts with antioxidants and colorloss at 515 nm correlates to antioxidant content, which is expressedas Trolox equivalents/100 grams (TE).
Results: Whole grain breakfast cereals analyzed in this studycontained from 2200-3500 TE. By comparison, fruits generallyranged from 600-1700 TE, with a high of 2200 TE for red plums.Berries averaged 3700 TE and vegetables averaged 450 TE witha high of 1400 TE for red cabbage. A 41 gram average servingof RTE breakfast cereal provides 1120 TE, while an average 85gram serving of vegetables or fruits provides 380 and 1020 TE,respectively.
Conclusion: Whole grain breakfast cereals, fruits and vegetablesare all important dietary sources of antioxidants.