ORAC- Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity

ORAC- Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity Written By: Peter Kopko

A new method of measuring the antioxidant capacities of different foods was developed by scientists at the NIH . This method measures the oxidative degradation of a molecule that has been made to fluoresce after it has been mixed with free radical generators. In more simple terms, a food substance like a carrot has a special molecule added to it that has been engineered to glow. The amount of time and intensity that the molecule will glow is determined by how much and how fast it is damaged by adding a free radical. This is known as the decay curve , florescent intensity vs. time. The only thing that will slow down the destruction of the glowing molecule is if it is protected from the oxidative damage of the free radical by naturally occurring antioxidants in the food substance.

The longer the fluorescent molecule glows the more antioxidant present in the food substance. Correlation between the high antioxidant capacity of fruits and vegetables, and the positive impact of diets high in fruits and vegetables, is believed to play an important role in the free-radical theory of aging. Quite an ingenious method. And what did they find? That certain spices, herbs, legumes and berries rated very highly.

Here is a partial list from the Department of Agriculture: USDA data on foods with high levels of antioxidant phytochemicals

Food	Serving size	Antioxidant capacity per serving size
Cinnamon , ground	100 grams	267,536
Aronia black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa )	100 grams	16062
Small Red Bean	½ cup dried beans	13727
Wild blueberry	1 cup	13427
Red kidney bean *	½ cup dried beans	13259
Pinto bean	½ cup	11864
Blueberry	1 cup (cultivated berries)	9019
Cranberry	1 cup (whole berries)	8983
Artichoke hearts	1 cup, cooked	7904
Blackberry	1 cup (cultivated berries)	7701
Prune	½ cup	7291
Raspberry	1 cup	6058
Strawberry	1 cup	5938
Red Delicious apple	1 apple	5900
Granny Smith apple	1 apple	5381
Pecan	1 oz	5095
Sweet cherry	1 cup	4873
Black plum	1 plum	4844
Russet potato	1, cooked	4649
Black bean	½ cup dried beans	4181
Plum	1 plum	4118
Gala apple	1 apple	3903