Processing blackcurrants dramatically reduces the content and does not enhance the urinary yield of anthocyanins in human subjects

Blackcurrant (BC) fruits are a rich source of biologically active anthocyanins but little is known of the anthocyanin content of commonly consumed BC products or how processing affects the absorption. We report that whereas fresh and frozen whole BC were a rich source of anthocyanins, containing 897 and 642 mg (100 g FW)⁻¹ of total anthocyanins the levels in all other products were substantially lower (0.05–10.3% of the levels in fresh fruit). Further, when the absorption and excretion of BC was assessed in volunteers consuming a portion (100 g) of frozen whole BC (642 mg total anthocyanins) and, 300 g of a BC drink made by diluting concentrated syrup (33.6 mg total anthocyanins), only small quantities of BC anthocyanins were excreted in urine (fruit, 0.053 ± 0.022%; drink, 0.036 ± 0.043%; mean percent urinary yield ± SD) and they were not detected in plasma. These data indicate that fresh and frozen BC, but not processed products, are rich sources of anthocyanins but, regardless of the food source, these anthocyanins are poorly bioavailable.