Scope
Understanding the metabolic fate of polyphenols from plant foods can aid in developing dietary recommendations that maximize their health benefits. Wild blueberries (WBB) provide a distinctive composition of dietary anthocyanins and chlorogenic acid (CGA).
Methods and results
This is a single blind, randomized, two‐arm crossover controlled study. Human subjects ingested a WBB beverage (25 g freeze dried WBB powder) or placebo beverage with a meal and plasma was collected over 24 h. Anthocyanins, CGA and their metabolites were characterized and quantified in beverages and in plasma using targeted and non‐targeted mass analyses. Bioavailability of WBB anthocyanins and 3‐CGA was 1.1 and 0.2%, respectively. Parent anthocyanins and 3‐CGA peaked ≈2 h post ingestion, while phase II metabolites, including glucuronide conjugates of peonidin, delphinidin, cyanidin and petunidin peaked ≈ 2.6, 6.3, 7 and 8.8 h, respectively. Phenolic acids (metabolites) peaked between 0.5 and 24 h. Biphasic responses were evident suggesting preferential enterohepatic recycling for some compounds.
Conclusion
The data indicate bioavailability of early and late phase WBB metabolites peaking at different times during the 24 h period, which may be important for maximizing their biological activity.