Citation
(2009), "Cranberry", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 39 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2009.01739eab.009
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Cranberry
Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 39, Issue 5.
The US cranberry industry is working to standardise the methodology used to quantify proanthocyanidins (PACs) – the family of flavonoids present in cranberries believed to impart one of the berry's major health benefits, i.e., helping maintain urinary tract health – in cranberry products consumed worldwide. Cranberry PACs provide unique bacterial anti-adhesion effects, but until now, manufacturers have not had a consistent industry-wide method to measure and quantify these compounds in their products and provide consumers assurance that the products they purchase contain sufficient quantities of PACs.
The team aims to standardise and validate the quantification of PACs found in products made from the North American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), the only species shown in clinical trials to deliver this benefit, and which is used in most commonly consumed cranberry products in the USA, as well as 90 per cent of the products consumed in Europe. The PAC content has been determined using an updated dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde method (DMAC).
Based on the significant body of research supporting the benefit of cranberry PACs for urinary tract health, consumers look for cranberry products to help maintain urinary tract health, which accounts for nearly 10 million doctor visits annually in the USA alone. Over the last decade, several studies have credited the unusual type of PACs found in cranberries with preventing the adhesion of certain strains of the leading urinary tract infection (UTI) causing bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli). The PACs found in cranberries have a unique A-type linkage structure that sets them apart from most other vegetable and fruit PACs. In addition, this anti-adhesion property has also been shown to interfere with the sticking of certain bacteria in the mouth associated with periodontal gum disease, as well as the Helicobacter pylori bacteria responsible for stomach ulcers, the leading cause of stomach cancer.
About the Cranberry Institute
The Cranberry Institute is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1951 to further the success of cranberry growers and the industry in the Americas through health, agricultural and environmental stewardship research as well as cranberry promotion and education.