Catechin Contents of Foods Commonly Consumed in The Netherlands. 1. Fruits, Vegetables, Staple Foods, and Processed Foods

Catechins, compounds that belong to the flavonoid class, are potentially beneficial to human health. To enable epidemiological evaluation of these compounds, data on their contents in foods are required. HPLC with UV and fluorescence detection was used to determine the levels of (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, (+)-gallocatechin (GC), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECg), and (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) in 24 types of fruits, 27 types of vegetables and legumes, some staple foods, and processed foods commonly consumed in The Netherlands. Most fruits, chocolate, and some legumes contained catechins. Levels varied to a large extent: from 4.5 mg/kg in kiwi fruit to 610 mg/kg in black chocolate. (+)-Catechin and (−)-epicatechin were the predominant catechins; GC, EGC, and ECg were detected in some foods, but none of the foods contained EGCg. The data reported here provide a base for the epidemiological evaluation of the effect of catechins on the risk for chronic diseases. Keywords: Catechins; flavanols; flavonoids; fruits; vegetables; legumes; chocolate