Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Nutrient Data Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #275683

Title: Sources of variability in the flavonoid content of foods

Author
item Haytowitz, David
item Bhagwat, Seema
item Holden, Joanne

Submitted to: Procedia Food Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/27/2013
Publication Date: 5/29/2013
Citation: Haytowitz, D.B., Bhagwat, S.A., Holden, J.M. 2013. Sources of variability in the flavonoid content of foods. National Nutrient Databank Conference. Procedia Food Science, 2:46-51. DOI: 10.1016/j.profoo.2013.04.008.

Interpretive Summary: In 2012, USDA prepared Release 3.1 of the “USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods”, which contained data on 508 food items collected from 308 published sources. Flavonoids are secondary metabolites produced by plants in response to various environmental stresses such as climate and ultraviolet radiation. Other sources of variability include cultivar, growing location, agricultural practices, processing techniques and preparation methods, as well as analytical variability. The objective of this manuscript is to examine and report on variability in the flavonoid content of foods. While the required information needed to assess variability is not available for all foods, data for a number of foods will be analyzed using analysis of variance for cultivar, location and other factors. For orange juice, data for 247 samples representing 109 mean values, i.e., different cultivars, location and year, were analyzed. The overall range for hesperetin was 1-39mg/100g; samples from the United States 5-30mg/100g; samples from Brazil 5-25mg/100g; and samples from Corsica (France) 12-26mg/100g. The range of quercetin values in raw yellow onions is 0-91mg/100g, and represents 96 mean values for 402 samples from the U.S., Japan, Spain, and other countries.

Technical Abstract: In 2012, USDA prepared Release 3.1 of the “USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods”, which contained data on 508 food items collected from 308 published sources. Flavonoids are secondary metabolites produced by plants in response to various environmental stresses such as climate and ultraviolet radiation. Other sources of variability include cultivar, growing location, agricultural practices, processing techniques and preparation methods, as well as analytical variability. The objective of this manuscript is to examine and report on variability in the flavonoid content of foods. While the required information needed to assess variability is not available for all foods, data for a number of foods will be analyzed using analysis of variance for cultivar, location and other factors. For orange juice, data for 247 samples representing 109 mean values, i.e., different cultivars, location and year, were analyzed. The overall range for hesperetin was 1-39mg/100g; samples from the United States 5-30mg/100g; samples from Brazil 5-25mg/100g; and samples from Corsica (France) 12-26mg/100g. The range of quercetin values in raw yellow onions is 0-91mg/100g, and represents 96 mean values for 402 samples from the U.S., Japan, Spain, and other countries.