Comparison of the total antioxidant status of Bohemian wines during the wine-making process

The total antioxidant status (TAS) of two white and two blue wine varieties from the Žernoseky wine region (North Bohemia, Czech Republic) during the wine-making process was assessed by measurement with different radical scavenging assays: ABTS, DPPH and DMPD. Significant differences in the antioxidant activity between white and red wines were confirmed and changes of TAS during the wine production process were demonstrated. Moreover, differences were ascertained between individual varieties of red wine. No statistically significant relationship between the results provided by the ABTS and DPPH assays was found, obviously due to the fact that each phenolic substance in wine gives a different response to each specific radical used in the assay. The results obtained supported the assumption that variety plays a considerable role in TAS; the blue wine varieties showed a much higher TAS than did the white wines. The ABTS assay showed higher EQA (equivalents of ascorbic acid, mg/ml) values than the DPPH assay.