Shedding Light on Antioxidants

Paula M. Powell, Senior Editor

How many antioxidants are in your green tea? One way to find out is with photochemiluminescence detection. Analytik Jena has developed a technique that combines fast photochemical generation of free radicals and sensitive luminometric measurement to monitor the analysis of antioxidants in lipid- and aqueous-based samples.

The measurement principle involves forming defined free radicals with a photosensitizer and detecting their reaction with a chemiluminogenic substance by measuring emitted light. In the presence of antioxidants, the free radicals are trapped, thus affecting the intensity of the photochemiluminescence.

Beer or wine drinkers need not fear. The application reportedly detects the antioxidative capacity of juices, tea, wine, beer, oil, cheese and even freeze-dried vegetables. Testing takes less than three minutes with the required equipment, which can detect nanomolar concentrations of the antioxidants.

Contact: Andreas Sterner, Analytik Jena USA, Delaware, Ohio; +1 (740) 369-9385; e-mail: asterner@midohio.net.