ORAC Values of 227 Foods Released

USDAs Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has released an Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity report centered on a database listing the antioxidant values, as measured by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), of 277 food items. These data were generated as a result of a collaborative effort between the Nutrient Data Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center and the Arkansas Childrens Nutrition Center.

As noted in the introduction of the report: The development of many chronic and degenerative diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and neuronal degeneration such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease has been theorized to be caused, in part, by oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has also been implicated in the process of aging. The introduction goes on to note that Diets rich in fruits, nuts, and vegetables have long been considered to be an excellent source of antioxidants. However, the report notes that antioxidant data on some foods still remains undetermined.

The goal of this report was to develop a more-complete list of antioxidant content for common foods. And although such general data are useful for reference, the report notes that antioxidant content values will differ due to a wide array of reasons, such as cultivar, growing conditions, harvesting, food processing and preparation, sampling, and analytical procedures.