purification Elisia, Hu, Popovich, and Kitts (2007) obtained an
anthocyanin-enriched blackberry extract which showed a slightly
higher ORAC value – 4885 lmol TE/g than the blackberry extract
reported in our study. In one of the first attempts to quantify dietary
antioxidant needs of the body Prior et al. (2007) demonstrated
that consumption of certain berries and fruits such as blueberries,
mixed grape and kiwifruit was associated with increased ORAC
plasma antioxidant capacity in the postprandial state and consumption
of an energy source of macronutrients containing no
antioxidants was associated with a decline in plasma antioxidant
capacity. They estimated that according to the energy intake of
the diet, 5000–15,000 lmol TE/g are necessary to cover human
daily antioxidant needs. However, further long-term clinical studies
are needed to clarify the connection between the increment of
plasma antioxidant capacity and the potential decreased risk of
chronic degenerative disease. The ORAC values of the anthocyanin-
rich extracts studied are proof that these extracts present a
good source of dietary antioxidants. In the literature scarce data
are available about the HORAC values of foods (Ou et al., 2002).
To our knowledge, such data for anthocyanin-rich extracts is lacking