In vivo antioxidative capacity of a composite berry juice

In order to test the health protective potential of a special antioxidant-rich juice (containing 30% white grape-, 25% blackcurrant-, 15% elderberry-, 10% sour cherry-, 10% blackberry- and 10% aronia-juice), the bioavailability of its most important bioactive compounds (anthocyanins and ascorbic acid) and the influence of juice consumption on plasma antioxidant capacity and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) was assessed by six healthy volunteers. The juice ingestion (400 ml) resulted in a significantly increased plasmatic antioxidant capacity after 2 h (30%) and significantly decreased plasma MDA after 4 h (18%). The cumulative urinary excretion of ascorbic acid and anthocyanins was 79 and 0.06% of the ingested amount. From the present findings it can be concluded that various juice antioxidants are variably absorbed and are active as antioxidants in vivo. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.