The consumption of blueberries improves cognitive and cardiovascular functions because this fruit is rich in polyphenols. Although blueberries are often used in baked products, such as muffins and cookies, it is unclear if the baking processes impact the polyphenols and, as a consequence, the health benefits of blueberries.

Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, University of Reading, UK, and colleagues investigated whether the polyphenol content of dough containing blueberries changes upon cooking, proving, or baking. The researchers measured the levels of the main polyphenols contained in blueberries, namely flavonoids and phenolic acids.

Their results revealed that all the processes analyzed caused a degradation of the flavonoid anthocyanin but did not affect the other flavonoids, such as procyanidin, flavonols, and quercetin. When examining phenolic acids, moreover, the researchers observed increased levels of 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, whereas the concentrations of caffeic and ferulic acids remained unchanged.

Overall, the polyphenols contained in blueberries are well retained after cooking, proving, or backing.

• Impact of Cooking, Proving, and Baking on the (Poly)phenol Content of Wild Blueberry,
  Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, Tania Cifuentes-Gomez, Trevor W. George, Jeremy P. E. Spencer,
  J. Agric. Food Chem. 2013.
  DOI: 10.1021/jf403366q