Phenolic compounds, carotenoids and antioxidant activity in plant products

The respiratory process and several aerobic cells oxidative reactions lead to the formation of free radicals which contribute to the appearance of different diseases. The human cells depend on their antioxidant ability to provide protection against the prejudicial effects of free radical and reactive oxygen species that are inevitable consequences of aerobic life. Several epidemiologic studies indicate that high plant products ingestion is associated to a reduction in the hazard of a variety of cronical diseases such as arteriosclerosis and cancer. These effects have been specifically attributed to the plant compounds that have antioxidant activity: vitamin C and E, phenolic compounds, specially flavonoids, and carotenoids. Phenolic compounds act as antioxidants, not only for their ability to donate hydrogen atoms or electrons, but also because of their stable intermediary radicals, that prevent the oxidation of many food ingredients, especially lipids. Carotenoids are built by polyene chains in a long conjugated double bonds system, electron rich, which is responsible for the antioxidant activity of these compounds, by the absorption of singlet oxygen and free radicals, to interrupt the chain reaction they are involved in. This paper had as a goal to review the different qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods of the main non-nutrient antioxidants in plant originated foods: phenolic compounds and carotenoids.