ANSWER
Most of the fruits contain good dose of natural antioxidants. Antioxidant can be defined as the ability of a bioactive compound to maintain cell structure and function by successfully clearing free radicals, retarding lipid peroxidation reactions, preventing other oxidative damage and also many other biological functions, such as anti-cancers, anti-inflammation and anti-aging (Zou et al., 2015).
Table 1. Antioxidant Content of Common Fruits per 100g
Type of Fruits |
Antioxidant mmol/100g |
Apple |
0.51 |
Banana |
0.27 |
Blueberries, Aron, cultivated |
3.79 |
Blueberries, Hardyblue, cultivated |
3.96 |
Blueberries, cultivated |
1.92 |
Blueberries, wild |
9.24 |
Guava |
1.21 |
Kiwi, green |
1.02 |
Kiwi, yellow |
1.29 |
Mango |
0.33 |
Orange |
1.08 |
Papaya |
0.76 |
Pear |
0.22 |
Strawberry, cultivated |
2.16 |
Watermelon |
0.18 |
(Adopted from: The Antioxidant Food Table, Carlsen et al., 2010).
Chart 1. Antioxidant Content of Common Fruits per 100g
Discussion
By referring to chart 1, the highest antioxidant content can be found in blueberries, wild (9.24mmol/100g), while the lowest is in watermelon (0.18mmol/100g). The blueberries grown wild in Poland have higher antioxidant content for cultivated species origin from Norway.
In addition to its high antioxidant capacity, blueberries are also rich sources of polyphenols such as flavonols, phenolic acids and anthocyanins (Michenaud-Rague et al.,2011; Saral et al., 2014).
Carlsen et al. (2010) also reported that, average antioxidant content in berries and berry products is relatively high ranging from 0.06mmol/100g in Elderberry drink to 261.5 mmol/100g in the dried Amla berries, compared to fruits and fruit product ranging from 0.02mmol/100g for watermelon to 55.5mmol/100g respectively.
In short, wild blueberries have the richest sources of antioxidant compared to other common fresh fruits chosen.
References
Carlsen, M. H., Halvorsen, B. L., Holte, K., Bøhn, S. K., Dragland, S., Sampson, L., Willey, C., Senoo, H., Umezono, Y., Sanada, C., Barikmo, I., Berhe, N., Willett, W. C., Phillips, K. M., Jacobs, D. R., Jr, & Blomhoff, R. (2010). The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide. Nutrition Journal, 9, 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-9-3
Michenaud-Rague, A., Robinson, S., & Landsberger, S. (2011). Trace elements in 11 fruits widely-consumed in the USA as determined by neutron activation analysis. Journal Of Radioanalytical And Nuclear Chemistry, 291(1), 237-240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-011-1266-9
Saral, Ö., Ölmez, Z., & Şahin, H. (2014). Comparison of Antioxidant Properties of Wild Blueberries (Vaccinium arctostaphylos L. and Vaccinium myrtillus L.) with Cultivated Blueberry Varieties (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in Artvin Region of Turkey. Turkish Journal Of Agriculture – Food Science And Technology, 3(1), 40. https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v3i1.40-44.166
Zou, Z., Xi, W., Hu, Y., Nie, C., & Zhou, Z. (2016). Antioxidant activity of citrus fruits. Food Chemistry Journal, 196, 885-896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.09.072
