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Flavonoid in Food

Flavonoid contents in food may vary from many reasons: the place and time of harvest, measurement method, and the handling of biological samples. In this summary page, we selected foods with over 10 mg flavonoids per standard serving. For example, fresh peppermint contains ca 20 mg flavones (apigenin and luteolin) per 100 g, but we do not eat over 50 g peppermint leaves in a normal diet. The following data are rather subjectively selected from data tables in this database. For full data, please visit the following data pages.

Resources

• A table of flavonoid contents by USDA 2003
• A table of isoflavonoid contents by USDA-Iowa State U 1999
• Antioxidant activity of flavonoids
• Tea information

References

• Merken HM, Beecher GR (2000) "Measurement of Food Flavonoids by High-Performance Liquid

Chromatography: A Review" J Agric Food Chem 48(3) 577-599 PMID 10725120

• FFF Database by 国立健康･栄養研究所
• Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

Content Summary

Food containing high Flavanone

Flavanones are rich in citrus, not in vegetables.

Food	Flavanone (mg/100g)	食品名
grapefruit, raw or juice	14-53	グレープフルーツ　（生、ジュース）
orange and tangerine, raw or juice	13-33	オレンジ、みかん　(生、ジュース）

Food containing high flavone

Many herbs contain flavones. Parsley is rich in apigenin; celery and thyme in luteolin.

Food	Flavone (mg/100g)	食品名
celery hearts, raw	19	セロリの芯 （生）
parsley, raw	302	パセリ　（生）

Food containing high flavonol

Flavonols are prevalent in vegetables, usually in small amounts. Onions, kales, hot peppers are good sources.

Food	Flavonol (mg/100g)	食品名
buckwheat	23	そば
cranberry, juice	16	クランベリー　（ジュース）
onion, raw or boiled	5-20	たまねぎ　（生、ゆで等）
kale, raw or canned	18-34	ケール　(生、かんづめ）

Food containing high flavan

Catechins and epicatechins are contained in legumes and teas, but not in other vegetables.

Food	Flavan (mg/100g or 100ml)	食品名
broadbeans, raw	～50	そらまめ　（生）
dark chocolate bar	～50	ダークチョコレート
black grapes	18	黒いブドウ
brewed black tea	> 16	淹れた紅茶
brewed oolong tea	50	淹れたウーロン茶
brewed green tea	> 50	淹れた緑茶

Food containing high anthocyanin

Anthocyanins are contained in berries. Vegetables supply only small amounts.

Food	Anthocyanin (mg/100g)	食品名
blueberries, raw	113	ブルーベリー　（生）
sweet cherries, raw	116	さくらんぼ　（生）
elderberries, raw	749	エルダーベリー　（生）
raspberries, raw	49	ラズベリー　（生）

Vegetables and herbs with scarce flavonoids

The following vegetables and herbs have flavonoid contents less than 5 mg/100 g: beets, kidney beans, snap beans, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, cucumber, endive, gourd, leek, lettuce, green peas, sweet pepper, potato, radish, tomato, oregano, perrilla, rosemary

Bioavailability

General

Most flavonoids are absorbed in the small intestine, and are soon metabolized to form β-glucuronide and sulfate conjugates (phase II conjugation in the intestinal wall). The catechol units are often methylated. C-glycosides such as puerarin remain stable and not conjugated. Not all phenolics including flavonoids are absorbed in their native forms. Esterification of phenolic acids (e.g. chlorogenic acid), for example, reduces absorption. Non-absorbed flavonoids are transported to the colon, and subjected to metabolism by microbiota. These metabolized forms show markedly different bioactivities from their aglycones

Isoflavones

Isoflavones are efficiently absorbed from the colon and exhibit the highest bioavailability. (Usually polyphenols absorbed from the colon show very low availability.) Daidzein and genistein are known to form chlorinated products (e.g. 3- and 8-chlorodaidzein), then are conjugated with glucuronides and excreted in bile.

Anthocyanins

Although anthocyanins comprise ca　50% of total polyphenols, they are poorly absorbed (less than 1% of intake in urinary levels) from the stomach　and small intestine. After intake, they soon appear in plasma and urine. In blood, anthocyanins can exist in a non-conjugated form. Their glucuronides and sulfo-conjugated forms also appear in early blood sample (0-6 h) and methylated forms occur later (6-24 h)

Flavan

Proanthocyanidins, anchocyanins, and galloylated tea catechins are least well-absorbed polyphenols. However, gallic acid, catechins, flavanones, and quercetin glucosides are well absorbed.

Bioavailability Data

Flavonoid	Dose	Observation
catechin	5.8 g	26% was excreted within 24h. m-hydroxyphenyl propionic acid was detected in plasma after 6h
3-O-methyl-catechin	2 g	plasma level 11-18 ug/ml within 2h; 38% was excreted as glucuronides and sulphates in urine within 120h
quercetin	64 mg (as fried onion)	plasma level 1 uM, 2h later
quercetin	4 g (as supplement)	undetected in urine or plasma
decaffeinated green tea	88 mg EGCG, 82 mg EGC, 33 mg ECG, and 32 mg EC	plasma level 46-268 ng/ml, 82-206 ng/ml, undetected, and 40-80 ng/ml, respectively.