Critical assessment of voltammetry for rapid screening of antioxidants in marine algae

Voltammetric methods of analysis represent an attractive option for rapid screening of large numbers of plant samples in the search for novel antioxidants. However, the technique has not found widespread use as compared to established methods such as the DPPH and Folin–Ciocalteu assays. In this study we provide a critical assessment of voltammetric methods compared to the DPPH and Folin–Ciocalteu assay by conducting antioxidant assays using these methods in a study of 99 crude samples of marine algae. Thirty samples showed the presence of antioxidants via the voltammetric assay compared with 20 samples for the DPPH assay and 16 via the FC assay. Through a detailed interpretation of the results the study suggests that voltammetric methods can identify potential antioxidants in crude samples with a higher degree of confidence than DPPH or the FC method alone and represents a viable screening method for marine algal samples.