Absorption and Metabolism of Dietary Phenolics From Raspberries

Red raspberries are a rich source of (poly)phenolic compounds, the main components being anthocyanins and ellagitannins. There is growing evidence linking consumption of these compounds with beneficial effects on human health. However, the mechanisms involved remain poorly understood principally because of a limited understanding of the bioavailability of ellagitannins and anthocyanins. This study aims to explore the identity and amounts of the phenolic metabolites of anthocyanins and ellagitannins in human plasma and urine following acute ingestion of raspberries. For this purpose ten healthy volunteers were feed 300 g of blended raspberries containing in total 293 μmol anthocyanins and 250 μmol ellagitannins. All urine excreted over 48 h after the ingestion of raspberries was collected and blood samples were collected before (0 h) and after raspberry consumption up to 24 h. Metabolites were identified and quantified by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS).