RESUMO
There exists a variety of procedures to evaluate the total content of antioxidants in complex mixtures such as biological fluids or plant extracts. Based on these procedures, different indexes (TRAP, TAR, ORAC) have been proposed to quantify the level of the antioxidant status of the fluid. Depending upon the procedure employed, these indexes measure the total concentration of antioxidants and/or their ability to modulate the steady state concentration of the active free radicals in the system. In the present article most of the experimental procedures that can be employed to evaluate the total content of antioxidants in complex samples are reviewed, with special emphasis on the information that can be obtained from this type of measurements.