Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 64 (2017) 145–146

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Journal of Food Composition and Analysis

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jfca

Editorial

Antioxidant methods MARK

The Journal of Food Composition and Analysis will no longer accept papers for review that employ antioxidant and total phenolic assays. Papers
that focus primarily on these assays will be rejected before review. Papers that use these assays to provide added-value data will be returned to the
authors with encouragement to re-submit after the data have been removed.
“Antioxidant” is a popular term applied to non-nutrient bioactive compounds that has come to be used erroneously in the fields of health and
analytical chemistry. The basis for the popularity of the term is easy to understand. From a health point of view, if reactive oxygen species (ROS) are
bad, then antioxidants must be good (Seifried et al., 2007). This misconception is further compounded by the assumption that antioxidant activity in
vitro translates to a similar function in vivo. Thus, the term has found a home in the food and botanical industries and has assumed such a broad
meaning as to be almost unusable (Frankel and German, 2006).
A considerable body of literature questions whether the health benefits of many compounds that are in vitro antioxidants arise from their in vivo
antioxidant activity (Frankel and German, 2006; Williams et al., 2004; Lotito and Frei, 2006; Holst and Williamson, 2008; Hollman et al., 2011;
Finley et al., 2013; USDA, 2010). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) allow health claims
for vitamin antioxidants (i.e. vitamins A, C, and E, those with a recommended daily intake [RDI]) (FDA, 2008; EFSA, 2010). However, even for these
compounds there is some controversy with respect to their performance as antioxidants in vivo (Holst and Williamson, 2008; Panel on Dietary
Antioxidants and Related Compounds, 2011). Plant bioactive secondary metabolites that are in vitro antioxidants (e.g. flavonoids and proantho-
cyanidins) are even more problematic, with little evidence to suggest a similar in vivo role. This does not mean that the vitamins and many of the
secondary metabolites are not health promoting. Simply, the data suggest that these compounds function in vivo in many ways other than as
antioxidants. More importantly, the fact that a compound is an in vitro antioxidant does not mean it is health promoting, nor is a substance with a
high antioxidant capacity more healthful than one with a lower value.
Analytically, antioxidant capacity and total phenolic methods have found use as a simple means of quantifying a wide range of bioactive
secondary metabolites, especially phenolic compounds, in a single measurement. The existence of thousands of phenolic compounds makes in-
dividual analysis and summation a time-consuming and expensive process – hence the popularity of direct colorimetric methods for all antioxidants.
Unfortunately, these methods are non-specific and highly prone to interferences, as any reducing compound gives a positive response (Apak et al.,
2013; Ainsworth & , Gillespie, 2007; AOAC SMPR 2011.011; AOAC-SPSFAM, 2013; Waterhouse, 2012). More importantly, antioxidant or total
phenolic values cannot be related to health outcomes (Balentine et al., 2015).
There are numerous “antioxidant” methods: e.g. ABTS, CUPRAC, DPPH, FC, FRAP, ORAC, TAC, TEAC, and TRAP (see definitions in the list of
Acronyms). The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and AOAC International both reported that the results cannot be
compared because the methods are based on different mechanisms, redox potentials, and are susceptible to pH, solvent, and sample matrix (Apak
et al., 2013; AOAC SMPR 2011.011; AOAC-SPSFAM, 2013). IUPAC concluded “that no single ‘universally’ accepted assay is adequate in itself to
precisely and quantitatively detect/determine all actions of a putative antioxidant” (Apak et al., 2013). AOAC International concluded that “anti-
oxidant” is primarily a marketing tool (AOAC SMPR 2011.011), and that FRAP yields FRAP values, ORAC yields ORAC values, etc. (AOAC-SPSFAM,
2013). Thus, there is currently no accepted standard mechanism or method.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) removed its ORAC database from the internet in 2012 “due to mounting evidence that the values
indicating antioxidant capacity have no relevance to the effects of specific bioactive compounds, including polyphenols on human health” (USDA,
2010). In 2013, a panel assembled by the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) to make recommendations on reporting requirements for
flavonoids in research concluded the following: “Inconsistent reporting of flavonoids in epidemiologic studies and intervention trials, application of
inappropriate analytical methodologies, and lack of full consideration of test materials used in flavonoid research have significantly challenged the
ability to develop clear dietary recommendations for intake of flavonoids to support or promote human health” (Balentine et al., 2015). They further
recommended that researchers “use state-of-the-art techniques to identify flavonoids. Avoid reliance solely on nonspecific identification methods
(e.g. Folin-Ciocalteu, oxygen radical absorbance capacity, diphenylpicrylhydrazil, and ferric reducing ability of plasma methods).”
In summary, “antioxidant” is a marketing term of questionable health and analytical value. Researchers can better serve the scientific community
and the public by the analysis of specific compounds and avoiding nonspecific analytical methods. To support this objective, JFCA will no longer
consider publication of papers employing antioxidant or total phenolic methods.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2017.08.011

Available online 21 September 2017

0889-1575/ © 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Editorial Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 64 (2017) 145–146

Acronyms

ABTS: 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)

TEEAC: Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity
CUPRAC: Antioxidant capacity/activity; cereals; cupric reducing anti – oxidant capacity
DPPH: 2,2-Di(4-tert-octylphenyl)-1-picrylhydrazyl
FC: Folin-Ciocalteu
FRAP: Ferric reducing antioxidant power
ORAC: Oxygen radical absorbance capacity
TAC: Total antioxidant capacity assays
TRAP: Total peroxyl radical-trapping antioxidant parameter

References

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Docs/SPSFAM/ERP_071113/SMPR_2011_011.pdf.
AOAC-SPSFAM, 2013. Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC) Stakeholder panel on strategic food analytical methods (SPSFAM): meeting minutes. Retrieved 2017 08 10 from:
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Ainsworth, E.A., Gillespie, K.M., 2007. Evaluation of total phenolic content and other oxidation substrates in plant tissue using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Nat. Protoc. 2, 875–877.
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James Harnly
Bethesda, MD, USA
E-mail address: jfca.elsevier@gmail.com

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