ORAC

ORAC is an abbreviation for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, This capacity is important to prevent radicals in harming cells or celltisue.

Among the services currently offered by PhythoGeniX are the determination of antioxidant capacity e.g. ORAC value, total phenolics content and DPPH scavenging.

Antioxidants

Antioxidant is a common term for a large and diverse group of molecules which can react with and neutralize unstable molecules known as free radicals, thereby protecting an organism against the harmful and damaging effects induced by these free radicals.

Free radicals

Free radicals (or reactive oxygen species) are highly reactive molecules, either endogenously created in the body during normal metabolic processes or exogenously introduced by the environment. Although essential to life, oxygen is the main source of these potentially damaging free radicals. Free radicals are unstable and reactive compounds since they contain ‘extra’ energy (often in the form of an unpaired electron in the outer shell of the molecule). To reduce this energy load, free radicals react with cells, tissue or other molecules in the body, and in the process, interfere with the ability of cells or organs to function properly.