Rapid determination of antioxidant molecules in volatiles of rose tea by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry combined with DPPH reaction

Volatiles have been regarded as active substances in many foods, whose chemicals can be analyzed by GC–MS qualitatively and quantitatively. However, the activities of volatiles are often studied as a whole, and it has no an effective method to determine that which molecule is active in volatiles by far. In order to identify the antioxidant molecules in volatiles, a rapid determination method was developed by GC–FID/MS combined with DPPH radical reaction in this study. Three antioxidant molecules were identified and validated among 20 components in rose tea infusion. Their activity validation and the methodological evaluation indicated this method could be used for distinguishing antioxidant molecules in volatiles rapidly and effectively.