With its deep purple skin, many assume that eggplant is a good source of antioxidants. Based on ORAC test results, that doesn't appear to be the case.Granted, a score of around 900 is still quite nutritious, especially when compared against meats and dairy products which often have a tiny fraction of that number. And sure, when you compare eggplant vs. zucchini or squash, the purple wins for antioxidant content (and that's true whether it be the Graffiti, Santana, Chinese, or Japanese eggplant). Though when you compare it against other fruits and vegetables with deep purple skins rich in anthocyanins, they score significantly higher.For example raw plums are 6,100 which is 600% more than eggplant. The reason for this is due to eggplants having a white flesh - which contains little antioxidants - while the other veggies and fruits are often purple on both the inside and out. The lesson? Make sure you eat the skin!
ORAC Source
USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2 - Prepared by Nutrient Data Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - May 2010