Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Urbana, Illinois » Global Change and Photosynthesis Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #208810
Title: Rapid Measurement of Total Antioxidant Capacity in Plants

Author
item GILLESPIE, KELLY - UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
item Chae, June
item Ainsworth, Elizabeth - Lisa

Submitted to: Nature Protocols
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/9/2007
Publication Date: 4/12/2007
Citation: Gillespie, K.M., Chae, J.M., Ainsworth, E.A. 2007. Rapid Measurement of Total Antioxidant Capacity in Plants. Nature Protocols. 2:867-870.

Interpretive Summary: There is growing interest in measuring the antioxidant status of plant tissues, in particular in response to stress. This article describes the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay for measuring the total antioxidant capacity in plant tissue extracts. The high-throughput assay is performed in a microplate and is assessed with a 96-well multi-detection plate reader. This assay is presented along with rapid assays for total phenolic content and total ascorbate content. Collectively, these assays provide scientists and researchers with general diagnostic tools of the antioxidant capacity of leaf tissue extracts.

Technical Abstract: There is growing interest in measuring the antioxidant status of plant tissues. This article describes the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, which measures antioxidant inhibition of peroxyl radical-induced oxidations and is a measure of total antioxidant capacity. The assay is performed in a microplate and is assessed with a 96-well multi-detection plate reader. With the described protocol, total antioxidant capacity of 64 experimental samples can easily be analyzed in one day. This assay is presented along with rapid assays for total phenolic content and total ascorbate content. Collectively, these assays provide a general diagnostic tool of the antioxidant capacity of leaf tissue extracts.