Decaffeination of fresh green tea leaf (Camellia sinensis) by hot water treatment

Hot water treatment was used to decaffeinate fresh tea leaf in the present study. Water temperature, extraction time and ratio of leaf to water had a statistically significant effect on the decaffeination. When fresh tea leaf was decaffeinated with a ratio of tea leaf to water of 1:20 (w/v) at 100 °C for 3 min, caffeine concentration was decreased from 23.7 to 4.0 mg g⁻¹, while total tea catechins decreased from 134.5 to 127.6 mg g⁻¹; 83% of caffeine was removed and 95% of total catechins was retained in the decaffeinated leaf. It is considered that the hot water treatment is a safe and inexpensive method for decaffeinating green tea. However, a large percentage of tea catechins was lost if rolled leaf and dry tea were decaffeinated by the hot water treatment and so the process is not suitable for processing black tea.     

Varietal variation and correlation of trace metal levels with ‚catechins’︁ and caffeine in Sri Lanka tea

Trace elements, phosphorus, ?catechins’? and caffeine levels in different varieties of Sri Lanka tea have been determined. The range and mean of zinc, copper, iron, lead and cadmium in 73 tea samples were as follows: zinc 22.5–62.5 and 35.0 μug g^?1, copper 10.0–25.0 and 17.8 μug g^?1, iron 40.0–185.0 and 128.1 μug g^?1, lead 0.188–0.561 and 0.426 μug g^?1, cadmium 0.156–0.380 and 0.239 μug g^?1. Significant differences in zinc, iron, lead and cadmium were observed among tea varieties grown at different elevations in Sri Lanka. These levels were also compared with results obtained with samples from other countries. The phosphorus content in ?black tea’? showed correlations with trace metal levels in the order lead>zinc>iron>copper>cadmium. Positive correlation with levels of ?catechins’? were more significant with zinc and cadmium. Caffeine levels were found to be significantly correlated with lead and zinc in ?black tea’?. Studies of translocation of trace metals from soil have involved analysis of various parts of the tea shoot and supporting soil.     

Major phenolic acids and total antioxidant activity in Mamaki leaves, Pipturus albidus

ABSTRACT:  Three phenolic acids, (+)catechins, chlorogenic acid, and rutin, were identified and quantified in Mamaki leaves using a liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer technique. Concentrations of (+)catechins, chlorogenic acid, and rutin varied from 1.1 to 5.0 mg/g of Mamaki leaves as determined in the extract using 0.5% acetic acid in 90% aqueous methanol. This study also quantified total antioxidant capacity using the photochemiluminescence method, which was expressed in equivalents to ascorbic acid (AA). Mamaki teas brewed for 30 min contained total antioxidant activity (TAA) between 238 and 259 mg AA/g of tea. Mamaki teas brewed for 1 h and stored at 4 h, 1 d, and 3 d at 4 °C had available TAA 293, 271, 172, and 163 mg AA/g of tea leaves, respectively. The concentrations of (+)catechins and rutin in Mamaki leaves are compared to other types of popular teas. Mamaki teas contained relatively low amounts of TAA compared to green teas and Lipton teas.     

A study on chemical estimation of pu‐erh tea quality

Chemical compositions and infusion colour differences of seven pu‐erh tea samples and their correlation to sensory quality were investigated. The results showed that the pu‐erh tea contained 37.1 mg g^?1 caffeine, 15.7 mg g^?1 amino acids, 67.0 mg g^?1 polyphenols and 8.41 mg g^?1 total catechins, on average. Among the 17 tested volatile compounds, n‐valeraldehyde was not detected. The most abundant volatile was β‐ionone and the next was linalool oxide II. Infusion colour analysis showed that the pu‐erh tea had deep hue with ΔE ranging from 66.8 to 79.2. Spearman's linear correlation analysis showed that total quality score (TQS) of the pu‐erh tea was significantly correlated to concentration of amino acids, linalool oxide II and infusion colour indicator ΔE. Five components were extracted from the 34 tested indicators by principal component analysis and were regressed on the TQS to produce six Pearson's linear regression equations for estimating sensory quality of pu‐erh tea, among which two were statistically significant, ie TQS = 57.47 ? 0.18geraniol + 0.33polyphenols ? 1.14n‐caproaldehyde ? 1.38linalool oxide I + 0.21caffeine (p < 0.01) and TQS = 57.42‐0.03Citral + 0.33polyphenols ? 1.14n ? caproaldehyde ? 1.40linalool oxide I + 0.20caffeine (p < 0.01). Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Optimising the extraction of tea polyphenols, (−)‐epigallocatechin gallate and theanine from summer green tea by using response surface methodology

In this study, response surface methodology was applied to determine the optimal conditions for the extraction of tea polyphenols, EGCG and theanine from summer green tea. As results, the optimal extraction conditions were determined to be temperature 96 °C, time 40 min and ratio of water to raw material 16 mL g^?1. Under these optimal conditions, the experimental values for tea polyphenols, EGCG, theanine and IC₅₀ for DPPH free radical scavenging activity were 133.41 ± 3.12 mg gallic acid g^?1, 30.23 ± 1.22, 3.99 ± 1.13 mg g^?1 and 724.95 ± 15.12 μg mL^?1, respectively. There was no statistical difference at significant level of 0.05 between the experimental and predicted values. The results suggested that the regression models were accurate and adequate for the bioactives extraction from summer green tea.     

Mineral contents of some aromatic plants,their growth soils and infusions

BACKGROUND: In this study, 18 kinds of medicinal plants were collected together with their soils from different regions of Turkey and their macro‐ and micro‐element and heavy metal contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP‐AES). In soils, pH, electrical conductivity, carbonate (lime), organic matter, texture, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn and B were analysed. In plants and extracts, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, B, Na, Al, Li, Pb, Ni, Cd, Co and Cr contents were determined. Also, correlations between soil and plant and between plant and extract were established. RESULTS: Element concentrations ranged between 0.11 and 5160 µg g^?1 in soil samples, between 0.14 and 54400 µg g^?1 in plant samples and between 0.039 and 22033 µg g^?1 in extract samples. While sage was rich in Fe (981.3 µg g^?1), basil was abundant in P (9.8 mg g^?1), K (54.4 mg g^?1), Ca (22.6 mg g^?1), Mg (3.1 mg g^?1) and Zn (46.05 µg g^?1) and mint was rich in Li (23.50 µg g^?1). Moreover, while high levels of P (4100.9 µg g^?1), K (22033 µg g^?1) and Mg (529.15 µg g^?1) were found in basil extract, Ca (5979.3 µg g^?1) was present at high concentration in marjoram leaf extract. Also, Fe (4.25 µg g^?1) and Zn (17.51 µg g^?1) were detected at high levels in lime flower and mint extracts respectively. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that aromatic plants are important sources of nutrients and essential elements. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Determination of alkaloids and phenolic compounds in black tea processed by two different methods in different plucking seasons

The effects of two different rolling methods and three tea plucking seasons on alkaloids and phenolics, mainly flavan‐3‐ols and theaflavins, in black tea were studied using an improved high‐performance liquid chromatographic method. Better separation of all tea compounds analyzed—the most important factor for their identification and quantitation—was achieved only with long elution gradients, which overcame the limitations of previously reported methods. Precision of the assay method was very high since intra‐day and inter‐day variations were within 0.76% and 1.66%, respectively. All analytes exhibited good linearity over the range evaluated with a correlation coefficient of 0.9987–1.000. Among the four solvents evaluated, 80% methanol was the most solvent for extracting individual tea compounds. The extraction method applied exhibited good repeatability (CV: 0.39–3.29%). The content of tea compounds analyzed varied with processing method and plucking season. Teas processed using the Cay‐Kur method contained higher levels of identified phenolic compounds than orthodox teas, but their alkaloid content was similar to each other. The most abundant alkaloid in teas was caffeine, ranging from 17.84 mg g^?1 dry weight in September plucking to 23.79 mg g^?1 dry weight in May plucking. With respect to phenolic compounds, theaflavins were at the highest level, 14.27 mg g^?1 dry weight, in Cay‐Kur tea processed in May. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Chemical analysis and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory effect of anthocyanin-rich red leaf tea (cv. Sunrouge)

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of leaf order or crop season on anthocyanins and other chemicals in the anthocyanin‐rich tea cultivar ‘Sunrouge’ (Camellia sinensis x C. taliensis) by using high‐performance liquid chromatography, and to study the effect of ‘Sunrouge’ extract on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in human neuroblastoma SK‐N‐SH cells. RESULTS: The total anthocyanin content was higher in the third (3.09 mg g^?1) than in the second (2.24 mg g^?1) or first crop season (1.79 mg g^?1). The amount of anthocyanins contained in the stem was high (1.61 mg g^?1). In the third crop season, the concentrations of delphinidin‐3‐O‐β‐D ‐(6‐(E)‐p‐coumaroyl)galactopyranoside (DCGa), cyanidin‐3‐O‐β‐D ‐(6‐(E)‐p‐coumaroyl)galactopyranoside, delphinidin‐3‐O‐β‐D ‐galactopyranoside, delphinidin‐3‐O‐β‐D ‐(6‐O‐(Z)‐p‐coumaroyl)galactopyranoside, cyanidin‐3‐O‐β‐D ‐galactoside, and delphinidin‐3‐O‐β‐D ‐glucoside were 1.57 mg g^?1, 0.52 mg g^?1, 0.40 mg g^?1, 0.22 mg g^?1, 0.14 mg g^?1, and 0.11 mg g^?1, respectively. DCGa accounted for about 50% of the anthocyanins present. The suppressive effect of ‘Sunrouge’ water extract on AChE activity in human neuroblastoma SK‐N‐SH cells was the strongest among the three tea cultivars (‘Sunrouge’, ‘Yabukita’ and ‘Benifuuki’). CONCLUSION: These results suggested that ‘Sunrouge’ might protect humans from humans from AChE‐related diseases by suppressing AChE activity. To obtain sufficient amounts of anthocyanins, catechins and/or caffeine for a functional food material, ‘Sunrouge’ from the third crop season should be used. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Preparation of tea catechins using polyamide

An adsorption separation method using Polyamide-6 (PA) as an adsorbent was developed to separate catechins from green tea extract. The adsorption capacity of total catechins for PA was 193.128 mg g⁻¹ with an adsorption selectivity coefficient K_A^B of total catechins over caffeine 21.717, which was better than macroporous resin model HPD 600. The Langmuir model and the pseudo-second order mode were primely fitted to describe its equilibrium data and adsorption kinetics, respectively. PA column separation by two-step elution using water and 80% (v/v) aqueous ethanol was established to prepare catechins complex which contained 670.808 mg g⁻¹ total catechins and 1.828 mg g⁻¹ caffeine. It is considered that PA was a promising adsorbent for selective isolation of catechins.     

Influence of extraction conditions on polyphenols content and cream constituents in black tea extracts

Increase in water‐to‐tea ratio and extraction time increased polyphenols recovery as well as extractable‐solids‐yield (ESY) in black tea extracts. Polyphenols content‐in‐extracted solids (PES) used as a tea quality parameter, was significantly higher at 50:1 water‐to‐tea ratio and favourably improved only up to 60 min. Extending the extraction period beyond 40 min degraded theaflavins (TF) and also affected the recovery of major catechins. Although tea cream content showed a decrease with increase in water‐to‐tea ratio, the content was nearly the same (1.80–1.89%) in all these extracts when measured at a uniform 0.5% solids concentration. The extraction conditions displayed a similar influence on the other tea cream components, namely, caffeine, calcium, pectin and protein. The conditions optimised (50:1 water‐to‐tea ratio and 40 min) based on higher PES and TF/TR ratio gave a maximum PES of 0.566 g g^?1 and TF of 0.46% (black tea) in the extract.     

Micronutrients (B,Co, Cu,Fe, Mn,Mo, and Zn) content in made tea (Camellia sinensis L.) and tea infusion with health prospect: A critical review

Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) is a perennial acidophilic crop, and known to be a nonalcoholic stimulating beverage that is most widely consumed after water. The aim of this review paper is to provide a detailed documentation of selected micronutrient contents, viz. boron (B), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), and zinc (Zn) in made tea and tea infusion. Available data from the literature were used to calculate human health aspect associated with the consumption of tea infusion. A wide range of micronutrients reported in both made tea and tea infusion could be the major sources of micronutrients for human. The content of B, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, and Zn in made tea are ranged from 3.04 to 58.44 μg g^?1, below detectable limit (BDL) to 122.4 μg g^?1, BDL to 602 μg g^?1, 0.275 to 13,040 μg g^?1, 0.004 to 15,866 μg g^?1, 0.04 to 570.80 μg g^?1 and 0.01 to 1120 μg g^?1, respectively. Only 3.2 μg L^?1 to 7.25 mg L^?1, 0.01 μg L^?1 to 7 mg L^?1, 3.80 μg L^?1 to 6.13 mg L^?1, 135.59 μg L^?1 ?11.05 mg L^?1, 0.05 μg L^?1 to 1980.34 mg L^?1, 0.012 to 3.78 μg L^?1, and 1.12 μg L^?1 to 2.32 μg L^?1 of B, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, and Zn, respectively, are found in tea infusion which are lower than the prescribed limit of micronutrients in drinking water by World Health Organization. Furthermore, micronutrient contents in tea infusion depend on infusion procedure as well as on the instrument used for analysis. The proportion of micronutrients found in different tea types are 1.0–88.9% for B, 10–60% for Co, 2.0–97.8% for Cu, 67.8–89.9% for Fe, 71.0–87.4% for Mn, 13.3–34% for Mo, and 34.9–83% for Zn. From the results, it can also be concluded that consumption of three cups of tea infusion per day does not have any adverse effect on human health with respect to the referred micronutrients rather got beneficial effects to human.     

Effect of combined treatments of ultrasound and high hydrostatic pressure processing on the physicochemical properties,microbial quality and shelf-life of cold brew tea

Effects of ultrasound combined with high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on physicochemical properties,microorganisms and storage attributes of cold brew tea were investigated. HHP at 400 MPa/5 min/25 °C inactivated the total aerobic bacteria, yeast and mould in cold brewed tea prepared by static brewing (SB-tea) at 13 h/4 °C, ultrasonic bath (UB-tea) at 150 W/120 min/0 °C and ultrasonic pulveriser (UP-tea) at 600 W/40 min/0 °C, ensuring their microbiological safety. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the concentration of tea polyphenols between hot brewed tea prepared by 7 min/100 °C and cold brewed tea under different preparation conditions, while the caffeine in cold brewed tea was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than that in hot brewed tea. During the storage period of 8 days, compared with the untreated group, the cold brewed tea after HHP treatment had better microbiological safety. In addition, HHP treatment constantly maintained the tea polyphenols, pH, colour, antioxidant capacity and turbidity in cold brewed tea. The untreated and HHP-treated cold brew tea were evaluated by 20 trained volunteers. Results showed that UB-tea was more close to SB-tea than UP-tea in sensory profile, while HHP seem to maintain a good sensory profile as well. Therefore, this particular combined technology of ultrasonic bath and HHP displayed considerable potential for application in the cold brew tea manufacturing industry.     

The phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity in different types of tea

Phenolics are suggested to be the major bioactive compounds responsible for the health benefits of tea. Seven types of tea were extracted using boiling water. The extraction kinetics was investigated. To more fully characterise the antioxidant profiles and possible associated health benefits of these tea types, the total water‐soluble solid content, phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant and antiproliferative activities were quantified. Green tea leaves (GTL) were found to have the highest phenolic content (128.7 ± 1.7 mg g^?1, P < 0.05), followed by teas of decaffeinated green tea bag (dGTB), green tea bag (GTB), black tea bag (BTB), decaffeinated BTB, black tea leaves and oolong tea leaves (OTL). Among the three leaf teas, GT displayed the greatest antioxidant activity (4850.2 ± 60.7 μmol g^?1, P < 0.05), followed by black tea (BT) and oolong tea (OT). As for the four bag teas, decaffeinated GT possessed the strongest antioxidant activity (4431.1 ± 335.0 μmol g^?1, P < 0.05), followed by GT, BT and decaffeinated BT. The results display that phenolic/flavonoid content well correlated with antioxidant activity. Proliferation of three human cancer cells was significantly inhibited in a dose‐dependent manner after exposure to some tea extracts. This may influence consumers in selecting the type of tea and tea brewing times, exhibiting greater health benefits.     

Survey of 13 trace elements of toxic and nutritional significance in rice from Brazil and exposure assessment

Twenty-seven rice samples from Brazil, four parboiled brown, seventeen white and six parboiled white were analysed by ICP-MS for trace element determination. Concentrations of arsenic varied from 58.8 to 216.9?ng?g^?1, for cadmium from 6.0 to 20.2?ng?g^?1, for antimony from 0.12 to 1.28?ng?g^?1, and for uranium from 0.025 to 1.28?ng?g^?1. The estimated daily intake through rice consumption was 9.5?µg for As, 2.4?µg for Cd, 0.029?µg for Sb, 0.013?µg for U, 3.1?µg for Co, 0.2?µg for Cu, 85.6?mg for Mg, 1.9?mg for Mn, 333?mg for P, 3.0?µg for Se, 1.6?mg for Zn, 0.9?mg for Rb, and 0.3?µg for V. Found values represent a considerable percentage of the dietary reference intakes and provisional tolerable daily intake for essential and toxic elements, respectively.     

Identification of α‐glucosidase inhibitors from a new fermented tea obtained by tea‐rolling processing of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) and green tea leaves

BACKGROUND: A new fermented tea produced by tea‐rolling processing of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) leaf with green tea leaf (denoted as LG tea) showed a potent antihyperglycaemic effect in maltose‐loaded rats. The aim of this study, therefore, was to identify α‐glucosidase inhibitors in the antihyperglycaemic tea product. RESULTS: LG tea had a threefold higher maltase‐inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ 0.065 mg dried extract mL^?1) than either the constituent loquat leaf or green tea alone. In addition, LG tea favourably inhibited maltase action rather than sucrase action. As a result of bio‐guided high‐performance liquid chromatography separations of LG tea, theasinensin A, theasinensin B, strictinin and 1,6‐digalloylglucose were newly identified as maltase inhibitors with IC₅₀ values of 142, 225, 398 and 337 µmol L^?1 respectively, along with previously identified catechins and theaflavins. CONCLUSION: Judging from the magnitude of the α‐glucosidase‐inhibitory contribution of each isolated compound to the overall inhibition of LG tea, catechins were the main candidates responsible for α‐glucosidase or maltase inhibition in LG tea, followed by theaflavins, theasinensins, strictinin and 1,6‐digalloylglucose. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Occurrence of 15 + 1 EU priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in various types of tea (Camellia sinensis) and herbal infusions

For the analysis of 15 + 1 EU priority PAH in tea and herbal infusions, an online-SPE-LVI-GC-MS method was developed. This method includes sample extraction of the tea and herbal infusions with saponification followed by an automated SPE clean-up step. For brews a liquid–liquid extraction with cyclohexane was performed before an automated SPE clean-up. Gas chromatographic separation was done using an Agilent J&W Select PAH (15 m × 0.15 mm × 0.10 µm) column, which allows the separation of the three benzofluoranthenes as well as triphenylene from chrysene. Method performance criteria such as method linearity, limit of quantitation (LOQ) and repeatability were determined and demonstrated that the method was fit for purpose. The method was used to analyse 15 + 1 EU priority PAH in 91 tea and herbal infusion samples. The levels of PAHs ranged from below 0.5 (LOQ) to 460 µg kg^?1, with a median of 4.7 µg kg^?1 and a mean of 39 µg kg^?1 for BaP, and from below 1.0 (LOQ) to 2700 µg kg^?1, with a median of 39 µg kg^?1 and a mean of 250 µg kg^?1 for total PAH, which were in good agreement with other studies reported in the literature. For the brews prepared under normal house preparation (20 g material in 2 L boiling tap water for 10 min), no total 15 + 1 PAH could be detected above the LOQ. With an extended brewing time of 30 min, a transfer rate between 0.25% and 0.52% could be determined, which results in no exceeding of the maximum limits given by the European Union directive for drinking water (EU Council Directive 98/83/EC).     

Tracking residual organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in green,herbal, and black tea leaves and infusions of commercially available tea products marketed in Poland

The content of residual organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) was examined in green, herbal, and black tea leaves as well as in their infusions prepared from tea products marketed in the main supermarkets in Poland. It was found that the detected mean levels of organochlorine residues in tea leaves ranged from ?1 dry weight. Among hexachlorocyclohexane isomers, γ-HCH in green tea occurred in the highest concentrations. Among dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) metabolites the highest level of p,p′DDT (1.96 ng g^?1 dw) was in green tea samples. The transfer of OCPs from tea leaves to brew was investigated. The present study revealed that during the infusion process, a significant percentage of the residues, particularly pesticides with high water solubility, were transferred to the infusions. The obtained results show that the percentage transfer of each pesticides from tea to the tea infusions ranged from 6.74% (heptachlor) to 86.6% (endrin). The detected residues were below current MRLs for these pesticides.     

Analysis of some selected catechins and caffeine in green tea by high performance liquid chromatography

Green tea seems to have a positive impact on health due to the catechins-found as flavanols. Thus, the present study was aimed to develop a low cost reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for simultaneous determination of flavanol contents, namely catechin (C), epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin 3-gallate (ECG) and epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) and caffeine in 29 commercial green tea samples available in a Saudi Arabian local market. A C-18 reversed-phase column, acetonitrile–trifluoroacetic acid as a mobile phase, coupled with UV detector at 205 nm, was successfully used for precise analysis of the tested analytes in boiled water of digested tea leaves. The average values of N (No. of theoretical plates), HETP (height equivalent of theoretical plates) and R_s (separation factor) (at 10 μg ml⁻¹ of the catechins EC, EGC, EGCG and ECG) were 2.6 × 10³ ± 1.2 × 10³, 1.7 × 10⁻³ ± 4.7 × 10⁻⁴ cm and 1.7 ± 5.53 × 10⁻², respectively. The developed HPLC method demonstrated excellent performance, with low limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of the tested catechins of 0.004–0.05 μg ml⁻¹ and 0.01–0.17 μg ml⁻¹, respectively, and recovery percentages of 96–101%. The influence of infusion time (5–30 min) and temperature on the content of the flavanols was investigated by HPLC. After a 5 min infusion of the tea leaves, the average concentrations of caffeine, catechin, EC, EGC, ECG and EGCG were found to be in the ranges 0.086–2.23, 0.113–2.94, 0.58–10.22, 0.19–24.9, 0.22–13.9 and 1.01–43.3 mg g⁻¹, respectively. The contents of caffeine and catechins followed the sequence: EGCG > EGC > ECG > EC > C > caffeine. The method was applied satisfactorily for the analysis of (+)-catechin, even at trace and ultra trace concentrations of catechins. The method was rapid, accurate, reproducible and ideal for routine analysis.     

Quantitative and Qualitative Portrait of Green Tea Catechins (Gtc) Through Hplc

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is a prosperous source of polyphenols, especially catechins. In the current research, an effort was made to optimize the extraction conditions for maximum yield of catechins from the local green tea Qi-Men. For the purpose, three different solvents were used, i.e., aqueous ethanol (50%), aqueous methanol (50%), and water at different time intervals (20, 40, and 60 min). Green tea catechins were quantified through HPLC using a C18 column and UV detector. The antioxidant activity of green tea catechins was measured through in vitro tests including DPPH radical scavenging ability and antioxidant activity. Results showed that extraction through aqueous ethanol resulted in maximum yield of green tea catechins (17400 ± 0.19 mg/100 g green tea leaves. Moreover, epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin ranged from 4.26 ± 0.09 to 6.4 ± 0.2, 12.1 ± 0.123 to 17.7 ± 0.3, 1.32 ± 0.03 to 1.81 ± 0.02, 5.48 ± 0.099 to 8.6 ± 0.2 g/100 g of dry-extract, respectively. Furthermore, highest antiradical (80.65 ± 3.69%) and antioxidant activity (67.12 ± 3.08%) were observed in catechins extracted through aqueous ethanol.     

Occurrence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in animal- and plant-derived food: results of a survey across Europe

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are secondary metabolites of plant families such as Asteraceae or Boraginaceae and are suspected to be genotoxic carcinogens. Recent investigations revealed their frequent occurrence in honey and particularly in tea. To obtain a comprehensive overview of the PA content in animal- and plant-derived food from the European market, and to provide a basis for future risk analysis, a total of 1105 samples were collected in 2014 and 2015. These comprised milk and milk products, eggs, meat and meat products, (herbal) teas, and (herbal) food supplements collected in supermarkets, retail shops, and via the internet. PAs were detected in a large proportion of plant-derived foods: 91% of the (herbal) teas and 60% of the food supplements contained at least one individual PA. All types of (herbal) teas investigated were found to contain PAs, with a mean concentration of 460 µg kg^?1 dry tea (corresponding to 6.13 µg L^?1 in [herbal] tea infusion). The highest mean concentrations were found in rooibos tea (599 µg kg^?1 dry tea, 7.99 µg L^?1 tea infusion) and the lowest in camomile tea (274 µg kg^?1 dry tea, 3.65 µg L^?1 tea infusion). Occurrence of PAs in food supplements was found to be highly variable, but in comparable ranges as for (herbal) tea. The highest concentrations were present in supplements containing plant material from known PA-producing plants. In contrast, only 2% of the animal-derived products, in particular 6% of milk samples and 1% of egg samples, contained PAs. Determined levels in milk were relatively low, ranged between 0.05 and 0.17 µg L^?1 and only trace amounts of 0.10–0.12 µg kg^?1 were found in eggs. No PAs were detected in the other animal-derived products.