What’s an ORAC unit?

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. Scientists have developed at a lab test that aims to quantify the “total antioxidant capacity” (TAC) of a fruit, vegetable, or other food taking a sample and placing it in a test tube with chemicals that cause free radical activity, along with select molecules that are vulnerable to oxidation. After a specific span of time, the scientists measure how well the food sample protected the vulnerable molecules from free radical damage. A higher ORAC value is assigned to foods that provided more protection.