Responding to the rise of antioxidants

Reading Scientific Services Ltd (RSSL) has invested in new technology for measuring the antioxidant capacity of foods, drinks, supplements and ingredients. Validated methods have already been developed for measuring the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) values of chocolate, fruit juices and plant extracts, and new methods will be added soon.

The technique works by measuring the degradation of a fluorescent probe after mixing with free radical generators such as azo-initiator compounds. The degradation process is slowed in the presence of antioxidants, and so the rate of degradation is an indicator of the antioxidant capacity of the product.

More than 250 products and ingredients appear on a list of ORAC values published by the United States Department of Agriculture and several products in the USA carry their ORAC values on the label. Around the world many 'super-fruits' are being promoted on the strength of their naturally high antioxidant capacity.

"More and more food producers are looking to boost the anti-oxidant capacity of their products," says Melindee Hastie, who heads RSSL's Functional Ingredients laboratory. "We are helping a variety of clients to formulate products using a wide range of natural products that are high in antioxidants. We carry out a variety of formulation and stability studies to help create suitable products for market and to substantiate claims. Until now, assessing the antioxidant capacity of the finished product relied on testing individual antioxidant components, whereas the new equipment means we can provide an overall estimate of antioxidant capacity.