A new total antioxidant potential measurements using RP-HPLC assay with fluorescence detection.

In this paper, an improved total antioxidant potential (TAP) estimation using high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay with fluorometric detection has been described. The principle of this method is based on the hydroxyl radicals generated in the Fenton-like reaction and subsequently detected using hydroxyterephthalic acid (HTPA), which is a reaction product of hydroxyl radicals and terephthalic acid (TPA), working as a sensing compound. HTPA quantity in the samples was measured by fluorescence detector working at excitation and emission wavelengths equal to 312 and 428 nm, respectively. A number of key experimental conditions including the influence of the reaction (incubation) time on the surface areas of HTPA peaks, concentration of Fe(II) ions as well as the influence of concentration of TPA on the surface area of the chromatographic peak of HTPA were optimized to the characteristic feature of TAP measurements. The elaborated assay has been used to evaluate TAP values of selected low-molecular mass compounds like pyrogallol, tryptamine, and n-alcohols (methanol, ethanol, and n-propanol) as well as chlorogenic and ascorbic acids and benzoic acid derivatives, which are commonly present in the food samples.