The early works by Chipault et al. (3-5) were the
precursors of many studies on the antioxidant capacity
of a number of plant extracts with potential applications
as preservatives in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical
industries (6 ±12). The current interest of
our laboratory in the biosynthesis of tocopherols in
plants and in the identi®cation of alternative sources of
natural antioxidants prompted us to develop a method
for the evaluation of water-soluble and fat-soluble antioxidant
capacity. The phosphomolybdenum method
that we propose in this article is now systematically
used by us in extensive screenings of samples of very
different origins and composition in our search for natural
sources of vitamin E and other powerful antioxidants