Assessment of Antioxidant Capacities in Foods: A Research Experience for General Chemistry Students

Abstract

With the booming interest in health food and nutrition, investigations of the antioxidant capacities of various foods have come to the forefront of food science. This general chemistry laboratory curriculum provides students with an opportunity to design and implement their own experiments relating to antioxidants in food. The curriculum is six laboratory periods long, with the first three laboratory periods providing students with the tools to investigate total antioxidant capacity, polyphenolic flavanoid content, and ascorbic acid concentration of samples. In the final three laboratory periods, students review food science literature, develop a hypothesis, design and perform their experiment, and present their findings in a scientific paper. This curriculum provides students with knowledge of UV–vis spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, food chemistry, and the practice and nature of science.

Integration of Nanoparticle-Based Paper Sensors into the Classroom: An Example of Application for Rapid Colorimetric Analysis of Antioxidants

“…This experiment can be paired with conventional analytical assays for the detection of antioxidants including the ABTS assay, the ORAC assay, Folin Ciocalteu reagent assays or HPLC. 9 Students can discuss the detection principles of the various assays and compare the results, including advantages and limitations of each method.…”

An Anesthetic Drug Demonstration and an Introductory Antioxidant Activity Experiment with “Eugene, the Sleepy Fish”

“…The commercial clove oil used for the comparison study demonstrates to students the chemistry behind over-the-counter drugs as well as herbal remedies. Antioxidants make engaging topics for undergraduate instruction, and various methods have been employed in teaching laboratories such as the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method, and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) method . Phenols have also been studied using the ferric ammonium sulfate (FAS) and Folin-Ciocalteau (F–C) methods .…”

“…Antioxidants make engaging topics for undergraduate instruction, and various methods have been employed in teaching laboratories such as the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method, 12 and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) method. 13 Phenols have also been studied using the ferric ammonium sulfate (FAS) and Folin-Ciocalteau (F−C) methods. 14 These methods, along with the FRAP, have been extensively used to study both natural and synthetic antioxidants.…”

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