Abstract
The objectives of this study were to determine the antioxidant activity of fruits containing polyphenolics, namely anthocyanins, and their capacity to reduced Fe (III) to Fe (II) under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The antioxidant capacity of fruits against prooxidant iron was determined using an in vitro assay. All the fruits exhibited variable antioxidant activity to iron in comparison to the control, both in the presence and absence of digestive enzymes and bile salts. For the fruits containing anthocyanins it was possible to obtain a positive correlation between total ferrous iron and anthocyanins content. There are strong negative correlations between phenolic compounds and dialyzable ferrous iron.
