Anthocyanins
Learn what anthocyanins are, how laboratories measure them, how processing and storage can affect them, and how to interpret human research.
Anthocyanin Study
FruitFast Research Archive
This page preserves research material related to anthocyanins and fruit science. Study findings should not be treated as universal product claims or applied to a different food, dose or preparation without supporting evidence.
Research note: Abstracts and historical materials are provided for transparency and education. Statistical findings, biomarkers and study conclusions are not automatically equivalent to a claim about a currently sold FruitFast product.
In 2019, FruitFast submitted samples of four tart cherry juice concentrates for laboratory analysis of anthocyanin content. The comparison provides a historical snapshot of the specific bottles and lots tested at that time.
According to FruitFast's records, bottles from FruitFast and three competing brands were purchased with similar expiration periods and submitted for testing on the same day. The reported results differed substantially among the four samples.
This page should be read as historical test documentation—not as a current ranking of tart cherry brands or a guarantee of the anthocyanin content of current FruitFast or competitor lots.
The Short Answer
In the 2019 comparison, the tested FruitFast Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate sample was reported at 47 mg of anthocyanins per 1 fl oz serving. The three competitor samples in the same comparison were reported at 4.1 mg, 4.0 mg, and 2.2 mg per 1 fl oz.
Those measurements describe the specific samples analyzed in 2019. They do not establish the anthocyanin level of every lot produced by any brand, do not prove why the samples differed, and do not demonstrate a particular health outcome.
2019 Anthocyanin Test Results
The following values are the historical results reported for the four tart cherry concentrate samples included in FruitFast's 2019 comparison.
| Sample tested in 2019 | Reported anthocyanins per 1 fl oz |
|---|---|
| FruitFast | 47 mg |
| Dynamic Health | 4.1 mg |
| Cherry Bay Orchard | 4.0 mg |
| Country Spoon | 2.2 mg |
Historical-data note: These values apply to the particular samples analyzed in 2019. Fruit composition, production lots, processing methods, formulations, storage history, and analytical methods can change over time.
What Was Compared?
FruitFast's 2019 comparison was designed to look at anthocyanin measurements in several commercially available tart cherry juice concentrates at one point in time.
Commercial Product Samples
FruitFast purchased bottles of its own tart cherry concentrate and products from three other brands. According to the original FruitFast comparison notes, the products had similar expiration periods and were submitted for analysis on the same day.
One Historical Snapshot
The comparison did not analyze every lot made by any brand. It therefore should not be interpreted as a permanent brand ranking or as evidence that the same differences exist in products being sold today.
About the Laboratory
FruitFast's original page identifies Great Lakes Scientific Inc. as the laboratory that performed the 2019 analysis. The specific analytical method, report number, laboratory accreditation status, sample identifiers, and reporting basis should be taken from the original laboratory documentation when available.
How Should the Results Be Interpreted?
Anthocyanin numbers are only meaningful when the analytical method, reporting units, sample preparation, and basis of comparison are understood.
A value reported for one bottle or production lot should not automatically be treated as the fixed anthocyanin content of every bottle sold under that brand name.
What the 2019 Test Supports
The historical analysis supports a factual statement that the specific FruitFast sample tested in that comparison was reported at 47 mg of anthocyanins per 1 fl oz, while the other three submitted samples were reported at lower values.
What Requires More Evidence
Explaining why one sample measured higher, claiming that one brand is always higher than another, or connecting the laboratory number to a health result would require additional evidence beyond this four-sample comparison.
For more background on analytical methods, fruit variability, and the difference between pigment measurements and health outcomes, see our Anthocyanins guide.
Why Can Anthocyanin Measurements Differ?
Anthocyanin content in fruit products can vary for many reasons. A laboratory result reflects the particular material that was analyzed—not simply the name of the fruit on the label.
- Fruit species and cultivar — different cherry varieties can have different pigment profiles.
- Growing conditions — weather, maturity, location, and crop year can influence fruit composition.
- Fruit tissues used — skin, flesh, and juice can contribute different proportions of compounds.
- Starting-juice composition — the incoming fruit and juice determine the compounds available before concentration.
- Processing — pressing, clarification, heating, filtration, and concentration can influence the finished profile.
- Oxygen exposure — anthocyanins are chemically sensitive and can change during storage and handling.
- Temperature and storage time — pigment stability can change over time.
- Finished concentration — products can differ in soluble-solids concentration and dilution instructions.
- Analytical method — laboratories can use different extraction, separation, standards, and reporting approaches.
- Lot-to-lot variation — agricultural products are naturally variable.
Because so many factors can affect a result, the difference observed in 2019 should not be attributed to one single production practice unless that factor was independently tested.
FruitFast Tart Cherry Fruit & Cold Storage
FruitFast has historically used tart cherry fruit including Montmorency and Morello cherries in its tart cherry concentrate program. These cherries can differ in color, flavor, and anthocyanin profile.
FruitFast also keeps juice concentrate refrigerated before shipment. Limiting unnecessary warm storage is part of FruitFast's product-handling approach.
Important Distinction
The 2019 comparison did not isolate cherry variety, refrigeration, or another individual production factor as the cause of the measured difference. Those characteristics may be relevant to product composition and storage, but the comparison itself does not prove that they caused the 47 mg result.
Learn more about FruitFast's concentrate handling, refrigeration, nitrogen flushing, Brix, and processing on Why Choose FruitFast?
What This 2019 Test Does Not Show
It Is Not Current-Lot Testing
The results do not establish the anthocyanin content of FruitFast concentrate being produced or sold today. Current quantitative claims require current, product-specific analytical data.
It Is Not a Permanent Competitor Ranking
The comparison describes the specific competitor bottles analyzed in 2019. It should not be presented as the current composition of those brands or every lot they have produced.
It Does Not Demonstrate Health Outcomes
Anthocyanin concentration is a chemical measurement. A higher laboratory value does not by itself demonstrate better recovery, reduced inflammation, cardiovascular effects, improved sleep, or another clinical result.
It Does Not Prove the Cause of the Difference
The analysis compared finished samples. It was not designed to determine whether cultivar, crop year, processing, concentration, storage, oxygen exposure, or another factor caused the differences observed.
Anthocyanin Content vs. Product Quality
Anthocyanin measurement can be one useful piece of information about a tart cherry concentrate, but it is not a complete definition of product quality.
Other considerations can include fruit identity, concentration, flavor, ingredient simplicity, processing, storage, food-safety controls, packaging, consistency, and how the product will actually be used.
Likewise, Brix and anthocyanin content are different measurements. Brix describes soluble solids in a juice or concentrate; it does not directly measure anthocyanins, vitamins, antioxidant activity, or a health outcome.
Learn more in What Is Brix? and the FruitFast Anthocyanins guide.
Continue Exploring
Related FruitFast Product
Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate 32 oz →
This product link is provided for navigation. The 2019 historical comparison should not be interpreted as a statement of the current anthocyanin content of the product unless supported by current lot-specific testing.
Historical Testing & Educational Information
The laboratory comparison described on this page was conducted in 2019 and applies only to the specific samples analyzed at that time. Product formulations, fruit lots, crop years, processing, storage history, analytical methods, and competitor products may differ today.
Anthocyanin measurements describe chemical composition under the conditions of a particular analysis. They should not be interpreted as medical advice or as evidence that a food or product diagnoses, treats, cures, prevents, or produces a specific health outcome.