Nanoparticles as analytical tools for in-vitro antioxidant-capacity assessment and beyond

•Nanoparticles and antioxidants: chemistry for assessing antioxidant capacity.•Synthesis of nanoparticles for evaluating total antioxidant capacity.•Chemistry on nanoparticles for selective detection of target antioxidants.

The current review describes the creative use of metallic nanoparticles (mostly gold and silver) and quantum dots as novel tools for reliable assessment of antioxidant activity in food and biological samples. Since evaluation of antioxidant capacity is a complex issue, these nanomaterials emerge as novel, simple and inexpensive tools in the field, becoming not only a valuable alternative to classical approaches but also a complementary one.