Relationship between Antioxidant Capacity and Food Chemistry
Abstract
A practical experiment devoted to study the properties of common foods (lemon, tea and garlic) containing antioxidant molecules is presently described. The experimental part was based on four main steps: (i) realization of calibration curves with standard antioxidants reacting with the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radical (DPPH•), (ii) quantitation of antioxidant molecules in food extracts, and (iii) determination of food extract antioxidant capacity vs. DPPH•, which (iv) was linked to the content of antioxidant molecules in each food extract. The educational approach was based on both conceptual thermodynamic processes and on practical knowledge on food chemistry and also diet related to healthcare. As a result, in addition to gain experience in simple spectroscopic methods, students went deeper in the understanding of the redox mechanisms devoted to oxidative stress basic learning.