Rosaceae products: Anthocyanin quality and comparisons between dietary supplements and foods

Authors: Lee, Jungmin

Submitted to: NFS Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/18/2016
Publication Date: 5/3/2016
Citation: Lee, J. 2016. Rosaceae products: Anthocyanin quality and comparisons between dietary supplements and foods. NFS Journal. 4:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.nfs.2016.04.001.

Interpretive Summary: Anthocyanins are important natural pigments that contribute to the appearance of fruit and to the anticipated characteristics of many fruit products. Anthocyanin profiling by HPLC has been commonly used in quality control of food ingredients, and could increase quality assurance of dietary supplement components and final products as well. Market available Rosaceae dietary supplements and processed food products were purchased and analyzed for individual anthocyanins and content (n=74). In mg per serving basis, the dietary supplements tested contained 0.02 to 86.27 (average 10.00), the food products contained 0.48 to 39.66 (average 7.76), while the levels between these two groups were not significantly different. Over 20% of the Rosaceae dietary supplements evaluated contained no detectable anthocyanins, or had unlabeled anthocyanins despite packaging labels promising specific sources of anthocyanins. Systems to improve Rosaceae dietary supplements’ quality are needed from source material to final products.

Technical Abstract: Rosaceae (strawberry, cherry, blackberry, red raspberry, and black raspberry) dietary supplements and food products (total n=74) were purchased and analyzed to determine their anthocyanin concentrations and profiles. Eight of the 33 dietary supplements had no detectable anthocyanins (five samples) or were adulterated with anthocyanins from unlabeled sources (three samples). Five of 41 food products contained no detectable anthocyanins. In mg per serving, the dietary supplements tested contained 0.02 to 86.27 (average 10.00), and food products contained 0.48 to 39.66 (average 7.76). Anthocyanin levels between the dietary supplements and food products were not significantly different in mg per serving. Individual anthocyanin profiles can be used to evaluate quality of Rosaceae food products and dietary supplements. These findings show that increasing anthocyanin content and reducing adulteration could improve the quality of Rosaceae products available in the marketplace.