The ORAC level indicates the antioxidant power of foods. A value to be pursued consistently with a varied and balanced diet. Rich in functional foods or nutraceuticals. As well as free of ultra-processed foods, which are responsible for genetic modification and aging, as seen.
Antioxidant power of foods, nutraceuticals
Nobel laureate in medicine Luc Montagnier-in a lengthy interview with his late friend Giulietto Chiesa on 2/25/20-recommended preparing for Covid-19 by strengthening one’s immune system with a balanced diet rich in antioxidant foods.
Nutraceuticals-from the cross between ‘nutrition’ and ‘pharmaceuticals’ (a term coined in 1989 by Stephen L. De Felice, founder of the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine and author of The NutraCeutical Revolution)-in turn focuses on products with high antioxidant value. (1). With regard to their abilities to:
– Promote some essential physiological functions of the body,
– Slow down and mitigate aging-related phenomena, (2)
– prevent risk factors for some diseases, including chronic and degenerative diseases (3,4).
ORAC level and free radicals
The ORAC(Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) level expresses exactly the antioxidant power of each food and is measured in ORAC units (µMolTe). The higher the ORAC level, the greater the ability of foods to induce the uptake, in the body’s cells, of free radicals.
Free radicals are a cause of oxidative stress in cells and concomitant of the leading etiological agents of premature mortality over the past two centuries. Heart attacks, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and chronic inflammation, diabetes and hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. (5)
ORAC levels in foods
Fruit and milk blends offer effective mixes of substances with high antioxidant power in a single consumption occasion. Indeed, there is a peculiar synergy between vitamins, phenolic compounds and polyphenols from fruit and various milk proteins with antioxidant action. Through ORAC, a method chosen for its specificity and magnitude of response toward numerous antioxidants, it was observed that increasing the concentration of both ingredients results in an increase in their antioxidant capacity. (6)
Among the freeze-dried vegetables — out of 927 samples of different species — green peppers, spinach, purple onions, broccoli, cauliflower and beet revealed the greatest antioxidant power. (7) Processing processes may in turn affect the ORAC level in some foods. In tomatoes, for example, the antioxidant power increases as a result of cooking (as the concentration of lycopene increases). Cultivars and agronomic factors may in turn affect antioxidant power, which is higher in organic products, for example. (8)
Antioxidant potency, rare label news
Science is unanimous in recognizing the favorable role of antioxidants for health. However, reports on the content of ‘total antioxidants’-as well as ‘total antioxidant activity’-in food labels are rare. Due to the lack of scientific consensus on a standard method for their qualitative-quantitative analysis. Consequently, clinical studies on correlations between antioxidant intakes and health benefits are generally conducted on individual foods or categories thereof, or substances contained therein. (9)
ORAC levels, on the other hand, revealed some inconsistencies in the values obtained on some foods. A Granny Smith variety apple, for example, can in fact reach 5000 ORAC units/day. While achieving the same value with α-tocopherol presupposes the intake of 8 capsules with 400 IU of vitamin E. (10)
ORAC levels in various foods
USDA(United States Department of Agriculture), based on a meta-analysis of 14 scientific studies, has compiled a list of 275 foods whose ORAC levels per 100 grams and per serving are reported. Spices and chocolate dominated the first classification, while fruits in general, with apples and berries/seeds, topped the portion list. (11) After a short time, the database was supplemented to consider 326 foods. (12)
The USDA website, following the update, de-published the database in question, inferring a posteriori the lack of scientific evidence on the correlation between antioxidant capacity and the presence of antioxidant substances (e.g., polyphenols), as well as on the etiological link between antioxidant action and the beneficial effects attributed to individual substances. Subsequent clinical studies, however, refuted such apodictic USDA assumptions. (13)
Fig. 1. List of ORAC values of certain foods (USDA, 2010)
Health claims expected in the EU
The European regulations on Nutrition & Health Claims (EC Reg. 1924/06, EU Reg. 432/12 et seq.) have provided for the possibility of using health claims pertaining to antioxidant action, in marketing information related to certain foods, under the conditions stipulated therein. In particular:
– extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil polyphenols help protect blood lipids from oxidative stress,
– Copper, selenium, zinc contribute to the protection of cells from oxidative stress,
– Vitamins B2 (riboflavin), C and E in turn contribute to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
Label ORAC levels
On closer inspection, the mere indication of ORAC levels in commercial information about individual foods-labels, advertisements, websites, QR-codes (even through public blockchain assurance, e.g., “I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to do that. Wiise Chain)-does not qualify as a nutrition claim (since it does not pertain to energy, nutrient and other contents), nor as a health claim. As, in itself, it does not suggest health benefits. (14)
A critical element to be considered-in addition to compliance with the general and specific criteria for correct consumer information (in accordance with EU Reg. 1169/11 and the Consumer Code, Legislative Decree 206/05, as amended)-is the consistency of the data with the actual characteristics of the product, throughout the shelf-life indicated on the label. Also taking into account the possible deterioration (e.g., oxidation) of contributing substances.
Dario Dongo and Andrea Adelmo Della Penna
Notes
(1) Gul et al. (2016). Nutraceuticals and functional foods: The foods for the future world. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 56(16):2617-2627. doi:10.1080/10408398.2014.903384
(2) Vranešić-Bender (2010). The role of nutraceuticals in anti-aging medicine. Acta Clin. Croat. 49:537-544
(3) Wichansawakun et al. (2019). Antioxidant diets and functional foods promote healthy aging and longevity through diverse mechanisms of action. In The Role of Functional Food Security in Global Health. Academic Press, pp. 541-563, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813148-0.00032-3
(4) Martel et al. (2018). Antiaging effects of bioactive molecules isolated from plants and fungi. Med. Res. Rev. 39(5):1515-1552, doi:10.1002/med.21559
(5) Price et al. (2006). Application of manual assessment of oxygen radical absorbent capacity (ORAC) for use in high throughput assay of “total” antioxidant activity of drugs and natural products. Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods 54:56-61, doi:10.1016/j.vascn.2005.11.002
(6) Zulueta et al. (2009) ORAC and TEAC assays comparison to measure the antioxidant capacity of food products. Food Chemistry 114:310-316, doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.09.033
(7) Ou et al. (2002). Analysis of antioxidant activities of common vegetables employing Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assays: a comparative study. J. Agric. Food Chem. 50:3122-3128, doi: 10.1021/jf0116606
(8) Wu et al. (2004). Development of a database for total antioxidant capacity in foods: a preliminary study. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 17:407-422, doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2004.03.001
(9) Institute of Medicine (2000). Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. The National Academic Press, https://doi.org/10.17226/9810
(10) Apak et al. (2013). Methods of measurement and evaluation of natural antioxidant capacity/activity (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure Appl. Chem. 85(5):957-998, http://dx.doi.org/10.1351/PAC-REP-12-07-15
(11) United States Department of Agriculture (2010). USDA database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of selected foods. https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Articles/AICR07_ORAC.pdf
(12) United States Department of Agriculture (2010). USDA database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of selected foods, release 2. https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/43336/PDF
(13) Prior (2015). Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC): New horizons in relating dietary antioxidants/bioactives and health benefits. Journal of Functional Foods 18:797-810, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2014.12.018
(14) Reg. EC 1924/06, Article 2.2, points 4,5,6
(15) Ferraretto et al. (2013). Mediterranean diet: Functional foods and physical activity, benefits for human health. Functional Foods: Sources, Biotechnology Applications and Health Challenges. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. pp.95-119, ISBN 9781624174353
(16) Williamson et al. (2020). Trends in use, pharmacology, and clinical applications of emerging herbal nutraceuticals. Br. J. Pharmacol. 177:1227-1240, doi:10.1111/bph.14943
(17) Pavlovič et al. (2020). Nutraceuticals for promoting longevity. Current Nutraceuticals 1:18-32, doi:10.2174/2665978601666200213121512
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Graduated in Food Technologies and Biotechnologies, qualified food technologist, he follows the research and development area. With particular regard to European research projects (in Horizon 2020, PRIMA) where the FARE division of WIISE Srl, a benefit company, participates.
