Taking the Qiuxiang pear wine as the raw materials, Huniang 1.01 acetic acid bacteria as the strain, and the total acid content as the index, the response surface methodology was used to optimize the fermentation process of fruit vinegar, and its antioxidant capacity was evaluated. The results showed that the optimum conditions for acetic acid fermentation of Qiuxiang pear vinegar were as follows: the inoculation amount of acetic acid bacteria was 9.4%, the fermentation time was 6 d, the fermentation temperature was 31 ℃, and the initial pH was 4.5. The fruit vinegar obtained under these conditions, which the total acid concentration was 54.45 g/L, was golden in color and fruity in aroma. The DPPH free radical scavenging rate, ABTS free radical scavenging rate and Fe³⁺ reducing capacity of Qiuxiang pear vinegar fermented by acetic acid bacteria were increased by 21.17%, 23.65% and 30.23%, respectively. It indicated that the pear vinegar had a good antioxidant activity.