USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2

The USDA recently removed its ORAC database listing values of antioxidant activity for various foods in test tube studies (in vitro). The reason given is that ORAC values don't necessarily translate directly into antioxidant activity in live humans (in vivo).

However, ORAC values do provide an indication of the antioxidant and polyphenol levels in the foods. Polyphenols have proven health benefits beyond their antioxidant activity (i.e. the green tea polyphenol EGCg stimulates metabolism). They also provide an indication of product freshness and ability to maintain freshness.

In the interest of  maintaining access to this data, I am providing a link to the database here. If it becomes inactive in the future, please contact me to send you a copy.

USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2:
http://www.orac-info-portal.de/download/ORAC_R2.pdf

Espanol:
http://portalantioxidantes.com/orac-base-de-datos-actividad-antioxidante-y-contenido-de-polifenoles-totales-en-frutas/

For articles on this issue, please see:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?seq_no_115=251105

http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Articles/AICR07_ORAC.pdf

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Industry/ORAC-has-ongoing-value-says-expert-as-USDA-removes-online-database

Is Resveratrol stable after exposure to air?

The question of whether the polyphenol Resveratrol will readily oxidize when exposed to air has been addressed scientifically. At the time of this relevant study (Prokop J, Abrman P, Seligson AL, Sovak M. Resveratrol and its glycon piceid are stable polyphenols. J Med Food. 2006 Spring;9(1):11-4. PubMed PMID: 16579722.), there were no published studies suggesting that Resveratrol was unstable, despite contrary claims being made by some. This study solidly confirmed Resveratrol's long-term stability under ambient handling and storage conditions for at least 4 years, as well as being stable for years even under more extreme "accelerated" storage conditions.


I can confidently report at this time that Resveratrol does not deteriorate when exposed to air and therefore does not require any special manufacturing processes that exclude oxygen. This has been confirmed by both this independent study published in a peer-reviewed journal and by stability studies performed on Resveratrol finished products by qualified scientists. Despite the assertion that Resveratrol requires special handling in oxygen-free conditions, we have seen no published data to support that claim.