Analysis of Antioxidant Activities of Common Vegetables Employing Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) Assays:  A Comparative Study

A total of 927 freeze-dried vegetable samples, including 111 white cabbages, 59 carrots, 51 snap beans, 57 cauliflower, 33 white onions, 48 purple onions, 130 broccoli, 169 tomatoes, 25 beets, 88 peas, 88 spinach, 18 red peppers, and 50 green peppers, were analyzed using the oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) and ferric reducing antioxidant capacity (FRAP) methods. The data show that the ORAC and FRAP values of vegetable are not only dependent on species, but also highly dependent on geographical origin and harvest time. The two antioxidant assay methods, ORAC and FRAP, also give different antioxidant activity trends. The discrepancy is extensively discussed based on the chemistry principles upon which…