Bioavailability of Pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside and Its Metabolites in Humans Following the Ingestion of Strawberries with and without Cream

Plasma and urine were collected over a 24 h period after the consumption by humans of 200 g of strawberries, containing 222 micromol of pelargonidin-3- O-glucoside, with and without cream. The main metabolite, a pelargonidin- O-glucuronide, reached a peak plasma concentration ( C max) of 274 +/- 24 nmol/L after 1.1 +/- 0.4 h ( t max) when only strawberries were ingested. When the strawberries were eaten with cream, the C max was not statistically different but the t max at 2.4 +/- 0.5 h was delayed significantly ( p < 0.001). The pelargonidin- O-glucuronide, along with smaller quantities of other metabolites, was also excreted in urine in quantities corresponding to ca. 1% of anthocyanin intake. The quantities excreted over the 0-24 h collection period were not influenced significantly by cream. However, the 0-2 h excretion of anthocyanin metabolites was significantly lower when the strawberries were eaten with cream, whereas the reverse occurred during with the 5-8 h excretion period. In keeping with these observations, measurement of plasma paracetamol and breath hydrogen revealed that cream delayed gastric emptying and extended mouth to cecum transit time.