Total Antioxidant Capacity with Peak Specificity via Reaction Flow Chromatography and the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power Assay

Abstract

An established ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay was optimised by preparation of the derivatisation reagent in 300 mM formate instead of 300 mM acetate conditions, resulting in increased sensitivity signal to noise responses by up to five to ten times. The quantitative protocol for selective detection of antioxidants via a HPLC post column derivatisation (PCD) technique using the 300 mM formate FRAP reagent conditions was then transformed into a high-speed qualitative screening protocol by utilizing an emerging technology ‘reaction flow (RF) chromatography’. Reaction flow chromatography’s ability to screen for total antioxidant capacity with additional peak specificity/profile information of active peaks could be achieved in under 2 min.