NutriRank

Dried spices and herbs rank highest by weight because their water has been removed. Dried cloves, sumac, and oregano have ORAC values of 3,000-9,700 micromol TE per 100 g. Among everyday foods eaten in larger amounts, dark chocolate, cranberries, and pecans are among the highest.

Blueberries are an excellent antioxidant source at around 48 micromol TE/100 g, but many other foods - cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, and especially pomegranates - have equal or higher values. Blueberries benefit from strong marketing and legitimate research on cognitive health, making them well-known.

ORAC is a useful research tool, but high in-vitro scores do not directly translate to the same effect in the body. Eating a varied diet rich in colorful fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and spices provides diverse antioxidants and other beneficial plant compounds. No single metric tells the whole story.

Yes. Dark chocolate (70-85% cacao) has an ORAC of around 1,000 micromol TE per 100 g, and cocoa powder is even higher at around 1,660. Milk chocolate and white chocolate have far fewer antioxidants. Processing method matters: dutched (alkalized) cocoa has significantly fewer polyphenols than natural cocoa.

Often yes. Heat, prolonged cooking, and industrial processing can degrade some antioxidants (particularly vitamin C and some polyphenols). However, cooking can also increase the bioavailability of some compounds - cooked tomatoes release more lycopene, for example. Steaming generally preserves more antioxidants than boiling.