What does ORAC stand for?
ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.
How is ORAC measured?
1. Molecules that are vulnerable to oxidation (such as beta-phycoerythrin or fluorescein) are added to a sample of food.
2. The sample receives a dose of molecules that generate free radical activity (such as an azo-initiator compound).
Did you know? Azo-initiators produce free radicals by using heat. Heating the sample damages the vulnerable molecules resulting in oxidation.
3. After oxidation occurs which can take up to 40 min, a lab measures how successful the food sample protected the vulnerable molecules from the free radicals.
What are free radicals?
A free radical is an oxygen molecule that is in need of another molecule to pair with. This “free radical” will “steal” a molecule from another cell creating another “free radical”. Oxidative stress caused by free radicals are produced during normal cell function, pollutants in our air, water, and even food.
Why are ORAC values important for my health?
As described at the beginning of this article, antioxidants can offer powerful protection against oxidative stress by protecting the body from the damaging effects of free radicals. Foods high on the ORAC scale effectively help to neutralise free radicals, slowing the damage caused by the oxidative process.
Studies have shown that eating foods with a high ORAC value can raise antioxidant levels in the blood by 10 to 20% depending on the source. The recommended antioxidant intake for the American diet is between 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units per day. However it is estimated that 10,000-12,000 units per day may be required to provide adequate protection from all sources of free radical damage. (Prior, Gu et al. 2007) Using the ORAC scale will help guide your food choices for a healthy diet.
According to Tufts University, while pomegranates have 3,037 ORAC units and blueberries 2,400, noni juice has only 433 ORAC value per serving.
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