Ascorbic acid content in berries and red fruits: a contribution to produce quality data for food composition databases

Rationale and objectives: The health-benefits of berries and red fruits can be mostly attributed to their particularly high concentration of antioxidants. In fact, berries are considered as one of the most concentrated sources of antioxidants amongst the commonly consumed fruits and vegetables. Because of the positive effects of antioxidants on human health, the interest in consuming fruits and their products is growing worldwide. The aim of this study was to measure the ascorbic acid (AA) content in six types of berries and two red fruits to be included in the Portuguese food composition database. Materials and methods: Fruits were acquired in local supermarkets according to consumption patterns. The edible portion of the following fruits was analyzed: mulberry (Morus L.), raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.), gooseberry (Ribes L.), blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), strawberry (Fragaria L.), cape-gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.), cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) and pomegranate (Punica granatum L.). The AA content was determined by a highly sensitive, rapid, precise and accurate High Performance Liquid Chromatography method, previously validated. The quality of the results was confirmed by using an in-house reference material. In addition, the laboratory participates successfully in proficiency testing schemes. All the results are expressed as mean values of three individual samples (n=3) and each sample analyzed in triplicate. Results: The AA content ranged from