Absorption and metabolism of pelargonidin‐3‐glucoside with increasing strawberry dose

Consumption of anthocyanins has been associated with a variety of health benefits, though little is known about anthocyanin dose response. A clinical study was conducted to investigate the dose response of strawberry anthocyanins. Twelve volunteers consumed each of three strawberry treatments in a crossover design. Treatments were 100 g, 200g, and 400 g of pureed strawberries, delivering 15.2 μmol, 30.4 μmol, and 60.7 μmol anthocyanin, respectively. Final volumes of treatments were matched at 400 g by addition of water. Urine was collected for 24 hours after each dose and analyzed by HPLC with ion trap mass spectrometry. Pelargonidin‐3‐glucoside (P3G) was the major anthocyanin form in the treatments, and P3G and three metabolites of P3G (detected as monoglucuronides) were observed in urine after the strawberry ingestion. One monoglucuronide form was detected in urine in masses 10‐fold higher than the other two monoglucuronide forms. Total anthocyanin appearance in urine increased with increasing dose. In addition, mass of each pelargonidin monoglucuronide in urine increased with increasing dose. These results suggest that pelargonidin‐3‐glucoside absorption and metabolism are not saturated at masses equal to or less than 60 μmol, thus showing that more strawberry anthocyanin can be absorbed with increasing dose. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.