INTRODUCTION Recently, reactive oxygen species ROS have attracted significant attention, because oxidative stress generated by ROS induces various disorders and diseases 1. Singlet oxygen 1 O 2 and lipid peroxyl radical LOO are wellknown representative ROS species generated in biological systems. 1 O 2 reacts with many biological targets including lipids 2 , proteins 3 , and DNA 4, 5 , as well as the peroxyl radical does. Reactions with 1 O 2 occur mainly by chemical reaction, inducing the degradation of biological systems. Carotenoids and vitamin E homologues α-, β-, γ-, δ-tocopherols-Tocs and-tocotrienols-Toc-3s are widely present in vegetables, fruits, and edible oils 6 11 and may function as efficient 1 O 2 quenchers in biological systems 12 14. Recently, kinetic studies of the quenching reaction of 1 O 2 with natural antioxidants AOs such as carotenoids, vitamin E homologues, and polyphenols were performed in