ORAC

The antioxidants in food are measured by their capacity to neutralize free radicals, in compliance with USDA guidelines. This rating/score/value helps measure antioxidant content in foods and other products.

The higher the number, the higher the amount of antioxidant activity in a given food or nutritional product.

This rating is becoming widespread. It is more frequent as manufacturers recognize the importance of high antioxidant foods and products.

The problem with these values is that many supplement companies have capitalized on this rating system. They can skew their product’s rating by measuring in different units (per grams dry weight, wet weight, or units per serving).

For each evaluation, different foods can appear to have higher values.

An example of this is that prunes seem to have a higher rating than plums, the same goes for raisins over grapes. In fact this is the same fruit, with the same nutritional value!

The difference results from being measured in wet weight, and is skewed because of the water content factor.

Click here for the full USDA ORAC report on foods

Many nutritional companies claim to have the #1 ORAC supplement. Dr Mark Crapo says,

“Most of these values have never been published in the scientific literature, they did not use Brunswick Labs or even list they lab or method they did use and so they are difficult to evaluate or even substantiate.”

That is why there is an independent testing facility, Brunswick Labs. Looking for their seal of approval on products will guarantee a quality test.

Brunswick Labs

Brunswick Labs have been around since 1997, but in 2009, they released the “Next Generation Total [Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity] for Food and Nutrition” test.

It is a breakthrough test, which you can read about here.

This latest breakthrough test produces quantitative analysis that reveals the antioxidant potential of oil- and water-soluble ingredients (including cosmeceuticals and finished products).

The test, “Total ORAC FN” for short, “measures antioxidant activity against 5 of the most important free radicals found in humans. These are hydroxyl, peroxyl, peroxynitrite, singlet oxygen, and superoxide anion.” These 5 measurements are then combined into a single test result.

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