Antioxidant activities of carotenes and xanthophylls

The purpose of this study was to assess the relative antioxidant activities of a range of carotenes and xanthophylls through the extent of their abilities to scavenge the ABTS "+ radical cation. The results show that the relative abilities of the carotenoids to scavenge the ABTS "÷ radical cation are influenced by the presence of functional groups with increasing polarities, such as carbonyl a…