Total antioxidant potential of juices, beverages and hot drinks consumed in Egypt screened by DPPH in vitro assay

Plant foods contain different classes and types of antioxidants and knowledge of their total antioxidant potential (TAP), which is the cumulative capacity of food components to scavenge free radicals, would be useful for epidemiological purposes. To accomplish this, a variety of fruit juices, hot drinks and beverages commonly consumed in Egypt were analyzed using in vitro DPPH assay. The order of effectiveness of fruit juices in inhibiting free radicals was as follows: red grapes juice > mango juice > guava juice > cocktail juice > pineapple juice > orange juice > cherry juice > apple juice. Among beverages and hot drinks, teas followed by coffees had the greatest TAP. These data confirm grape juice, teas and coffees as good dietary sources of antioxidants.