NEW RESEARCH RESULTS: Proanthocyanidins in Finnish foods

Tuesday, 20 October 2009 06:55

Research groups working at MTT and University of Kuopio have published several papers on the contents of various polyphenols in a large number of food products commonly consumed in Finland. The latest paper reports the contents of both extractable and unextractable proanthocyanidins (condensed tannins).

Proanthocyanidins were extracted with aqueous acetone-methanol and quantified by HPLC according to their degree of polymerisation. Unextractable proanthocyaninins were analysed from the extraction residue after acid-catalyzed depolymerization as free flavan-3-ols (terminal units) and benzylthioethers (extension units). Proanthocyanidins were detected in 49 of 99 selected food items. The highest contents were determined in chokeberries (aronia), rose hips, and cocoa powder. Berries and fruits were generally the best sources of proanthocyanidins, whereas most of the vegetables, roots and cereals lacked them completely. Many of the samples contained a significant proportion of insoluble proanthocyanidins.

Reference: Hellström JK, Törrönen AR, Mattila PH. Proanthocyanidins in common food products of plant origin. J Agric Food Chem 57: 7899-7906, 2009.

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