A beetroot juice shot is a significant and convenient source of bioaccessible antioxidants

The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total polyphenol (TP) content of a beetroot juice shot (70 mL) was examined following in vitro digestion. TAC was assessed using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and TP content was measured using the Folin Ciocalteu (FC) method (measured as gallic acid equivalents (GAE) before and after an in vitro digestion procedure with simulated gastric (GAS) and duodenal (DUO) phases. The beetroot shot had a high TAC (697.9 +/- 1.6 mu mol/70 mL) and TP content (68.4 +/- 0.3 mg GAE/70 mL). FRAP values increased approximately 3-fold after GAS (2361.2 +/- 20.9 mu mol/70 mL) and remained high following DUO (1740.3 +/- 21.1 mu mol/70 mL). TP content increased 5-fold following GAS (341.6 +/- 4.8 mg GAE/70 mL) and remained 3.3-fold higher following DUO (223.2 +/- 5.4 mg GAE/70 mL). The beetroot shot delivers a high amount of bioaccessible antioxidants and may be a cost effective and convenient method of increasing antioxidant status. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.