Major Antioxidants and Methods for Studying Their Total Activity in Milk: A Review

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Dairy Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Antioxidants are crucial for maintaining food quality, taste, and technological properties by preventing spoilage.
• Key antioxidants include vitamins, enzymes, peptides, amino acids, and lipid residues.
• Current research focuses on specific antioxidant quantification, neglecting total antioxidant activity (AOA) assessment in raw milk and food systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically review existing methods for assessing antioxidant activity (AOA) in food systems, with a focus on raw milk.
• To evaluate the applicability, advantages, and limitations of various AOA measurement techniques.
• To identify the most suitable method for assessing the integrated antioxidant capacity in raw milk.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of methods for determining antioxidant content and activity.
• Critical analysis of the mechanisms, applicability, advantages, and limitations of different AOA assays.
• Comparative evaluation of various antioxidant indicators in milk, focusing on total water-soluble antioxidant (TAWSA).

Main Results:

• A critical overview of major AOA assessment methods is provided, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.
• The detection of total water-soluble antioxidant (TAWSA) is identified as the simplest and most informative indicator for milk.
• TAWSA serves as an integral characteristic of multiple biosubstances possessing antioxidant properties in milk.

Conclusions:

• The TAWSA method is recommended for assessing the overall antioxidant capacity in raw milk.
• TAWSA provides an integrated indicator valuable for dairy husbandry and quality control.
• Further research and standardization of TAWSA methods are encouraged for widespread application.