June 16/Murcia, Spain/Food & Farm Week -- "Orange juice is a very rich source of dietary flavanones. The effect of flavanone concentration and solubility of orange beverages on their bioavailability has been studied in a crossover study with 10 healthy volunteers," scientists in Murcia, Spain, report.

"Five different beverages with different flavanone concentrations were evaluated. Commercial orange juices (29.2-70.3mg of flavanones/100mL) were compared with experimental orange beverages in which the flavanone concentration was enhanced (110.2mg/100mL). Hesperetin and naringenin glucuronides and sulfates were detected and quantified in plasma and urine. The study shows that the solubility of the flavanones, and particularly that of hesperidin, in the juice is a key factor for the bioavailability as flavanone excretion and the Cm, in plasma correlate well with the soluble flavanone concentration in the juice, whereas it has no correlation with the total flavanone intake," wrote F. Vallejo and colleagues.

The researchers concluded, "In addition, a large interindividual variation was observed, this being consistent for each individual after the intake of the different beverages, suggesting that flavanone bioavailability is also dependent on the occurrence of specific microbiota that is able to remove the rutinosides from the juice glycosides, which results in aglycones that are then absorbed from the gut."

Vallejo and colleagues published their study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry ("Concentration and Solubility of Flavanones in Orange Beverages Affect Their Bioavailability in Humans." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2010;58(10):6516-6524).

For more information, contact F. Vallejo, CSIC, CEBAS, Dept. of Food Science & Technology, Research Group Qual Safety & Bioact Plant Foods, 30100 Campus Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.

From the June 17, 2010, Prepared Foods' Daily News
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