Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity in Foods with Special Reference to TEAC Method.

The antioxidant capacity of complex heterogeneous foods and biological systems is affected by
many factors. Considering the importance of antioxidants, it is of great interest to know the
antioxidant capacity of the constituents in foods. The Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) is a
parameter that provides information on the overall status of antioxidants within a complex
biological sample. TAC, as determined by Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) method,
offers several advantages over other methods and is relatively easy. Due to its operational
simplicity, the TEAC assay has been used for studying antioxidant capacity and TEAC values of
many compounds and food samples. The article deals with various developments in the method, its
merits and demerits and its application in determining the TAC of various food commodities.