Application of a radical scavenging activity test to measure the total antioxidant activity of poultry meat

The antioxidant activity of the hydrophilic and lipophilic fraction of poultry meat was determined in terms of ‘radical scavenging activity’ (RSA) using a modified ABTS radical cation decolorization method. The method uses the extraction of hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions in water and methanol–chloroform, respectively. The determination of the RSA of the lipophilic fraction was conducted using a chloroform extract and maintaining a constant chloroform:ethanol ratio in the solution of analysis. The method was tested on nine samples of poultry breasts and thigh meats and permitted to quantify the RSA in terms of lmol Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) with a mean relative standard deviation of less than 5%. The contribution of the hydrophilic fraction to the total RSA was much higher than that of the lipid soluble fraction. Breast showed a higher RSA than thigh meat due to its lower total lipids content. The total RSA value (TEAC = 2.4 lmol g1) suggests that poultry meat could significantly contribute to the antioxidant activity of the diet.