Polyphenol availability in fruits and vegetables consumed in Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To estimate total polyphenol availability in fruits and vegetables commonly consumed in Brazil and its regions, and to identify the main food sources that constitute food habits in this country. METHODS: Total polyphenols were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and the availability estimated according to the Pesquisa de Orcamentos Familiares 2002/2003 (2002/2003 Family Budget Survey). Twelve highly consumed food items were chosen, of which six were "tropical fruits" and six were vegetables under the categories of "leafy and flower vegetables", "fruit vegetables" and "tuberous vegetables". Polyphenol quantification was performed with three independent experiments, each one in duplicate. The national polyphenol availability was estimated in grams per fresh weight of each analyzed food. Daily per capita availability in Brazil and its regions was calculated using the amount of polyphenol provided by the consumption of the 12 foods analyzed. RESULTS: Polyphenol contents of foods varied from 15.35 to 214.84 mg GAE/100 g of fresh weight. Polyphenol availability in Brazil, based on the amount in kilograms that is annually acquired in Brazil, of the 12 selected foods was 48.3 mg/day, and the Southeast and Central-West regions had the highest and lowest values, respectively. Banana was the main polyphenol source consumed in Brazil, even though this pattern varied among regions. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated daily polyphenol availability in Brazil was similar to other countries. Differences observed among regions could be directly related to distinct cultural habits. Although there is no recommended daily availability of polyphenols, consumption of the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables can increase the availability of polyphenols 16 times, showing a clear relationship between the consumption of these food groups and the availability of beneficial bioactive compounds.