Free radicals have been postulated to be the cause of numerous diseases including cancer, hypertension, and Alzheimer’s disease. Consuming foods or beverages high in antioxidants may help reduce the number of free radicals in the body. Antioxidants are typically small organic compounds which can neutralize the reactivity of free radicals. Tea has been widely studied as a source of antioxidants and can be prepared by several different methods. Hot brewing tea, soaking tea leaves in hot water for several minutes is the most common method, while cold brewing tea, soaking the tea leaves in cold water for several hours, is another method used. Since each beverage will contain different types of antioxidants, the antioxidant capacity was measured instead of antioxidant concentration. The method selected was to add each differently brewed tea to a free radical source causing the antioxidants in the tea to react with the free radical source resulting in a change in the visible spectrum. The amount changed is compared to ascorbic acid, a standard antioxidant source.

Antioxidants in hot-brewed and cold-brewed teas

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