USDA Data Provides Antioxidant Values for Juices

PORTLAND, Maine—USDA’s (USDA.gov) database of antioxidant values for various foods, places blueberry juice at the top of the list among more than a dozen juices tested, including pomegranate, apple, prune, cranberry and Concord grape. Using the Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC) testing procedure, the gold standard of antioxidant measures for detecting the free-radical scavenging ability of foods, blueberry juice had the highest ORAC score of 2,906 umol TE/100g. The ORAC database was prepared by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and is available at http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/ORAC/ORAC07.pdf.“A serving of 100% fruit juice is a healthy way to get one of your daily fruit servings,” said Susan Davis, MS, RD, nutrition advisor to the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WildBlueberries.com). “A glass of juice can be a refreshing, nutritious energy boost, but moderation of how much juice you drink is key. Control calories by making juice part of an overall healthy diet that includes many fruits and vegetables and balances carbohydrates, fats, protein, and fiber.”