Elsevier

The Journal of Nutrition

Volume 133, Issue 9, September 2003, Pages 2812-2819
The Journal of Nutrition

Total Antioxidant Capacity of Plant Foods, Beverages and Oils Consumed in Italy Assessed by Three Different In Vitro Assays1

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Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated an inverse association between consumption of fruits and vegetables and morbidity and mortality from degenerative diseases. The antioxidant content of fruits and vegetables may contribute to the protection they offer from disease. Because plant foods contain many different classes and types of antioxidants, knowledge of their total antioxidant capacity (TAC), which is the cumulative capacity of food components to scavenge free radicals, would be useful for epidemiologic purposes. To accomplish this, a variety of foods commonly consumed in Italy, including 34 vegetables, 30 fruits, 34 beverages and 6 vegetable oils, were analyzed using three different assays, i.e., Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP) and ferric reducing-antioxidant power (FRAP). These assays, based on different chemical mechanisms, were selected to take into account the wide variety and range of action of antioxidant compounds present in actual foods. Among vegetables, spinach had the highest antioxidant capacity in the TEAC and FRAP assays followed by peppers, whereas asparagus had the greatest antioxidant capacity in the TRAP assay. Among fruits, the highest antioxidant activities were found in berries (i.e., blackberry, redcurrant and raspberry) regardless of the assay used. Among beverages, coffee had the greatest TAC, regardless of the method of preparation or analysis, followed by citrus juices, which exhibited the highest value among soft beverages. Finally, of the oils, soybean oil had the highest antioxidant capacity, followed by extra virgin olive oil, whereas peanut oil was less effective. Such data, coupled with an appropriate questionnaire to estimate antioxidant intake, will allow the investigation of the relation between dietary antioxidants and oxidative stress-induced diseases.

Key words:

antioxidant capacity
fruits
vegetables
beverages
oils

Abbreviations:

ABAP
2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride
ABTS
2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)
ABTS·+
2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation
EVOO
extra virgin olive oil
FRAP
ferric reducing-antioxidant power
OO
olive oil
R-PE
R-phycoerythrin
RSD
relative standard deviation
TAC
total antioxidant capacity
TEAC
Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity
TPTZ
2,4,6-tripyridyl-s-triazine
TRAP
total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter
Trolox
6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid

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1

Supported by the EC project Healthy Market (IST-2001-33204) and the National Research Council of Italy (CNR 01.00923. CT26/115.25178).