Spectrophotometric Methods and Electronic Spin Resonance for Evaluation of Antioxidant Capacity of Food

Abstract

“Antioxidant” is a popular term that applies to bioactive compounds that are not necessarily nutrients but can deliver added value to food. Therefore, the determination of the antioxidant capacity of foods has been of considerable interest for several decades. The determination of antioxidant capacity of secondary metabolites present in food has been commonly associated with the health benefits of those who consume them. Currently there are numerous antecedents that discuss the potential benefits of these metabolites to health and how this term has been used by the advertising industry in the supply of food with added value. However, the fact that a food has an antioxidant capacity or not can account for its quality in terms of its organoleptic properties, their resistance to pathogens, among others. For the determination of antioxidant capacity there are several methodologies that allow obtaining information about the antioxidant power of food. In this chapter we will analyze the most used methods to determine the antioxidant capacity in food and raw materials.