γ -Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Content of Selected Uncooked Foods

We analyzed the γ - aminobutyric acid (GABA) content of a selection of uncooked foods. Foods with GABA concentrations in excess of 100 nmole per g dry weight included: brown rice germ, brown rice sprouts, barley sprouts, bean sprouts, beans, corn, barley, brown rice, spinach, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, kale and chestnuts. Cereals included: brown rice germ, brown rice sprouts, barley sprouts, bean sprouts, beans, corn, barley, and brown rice and had GABA concentrations of 718, 389, 326, 302, 250, 199, 190, and 123 nmole per g dry weight (DW), respectively. The vegetables: spinach, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams and kale contained 414, 166, 137, 129, 122 nmole GABA per g DW, respectively. The GABA concentration of chestnut was 188 nmole per g DW. However, oatmeal, adlay, broccoli, squash, carrots, onion, apples, lentinus edodes, green laver, and lactobacillus had GABA concentrations of less than 100 nmole per g DW. These results show that brown rice germ, sprouted cereals and spinach are good sources of plant - derived GABA. These data will be useful in selecting foods for the manufacturing of uncooked foods containing a relatively high concentrations of GABA.