TEA.
What is TEA.
Tea is beverage made by steeping
processed leaves , buds , or twigs of
the tea bush , in hot water for a few
minutes.
TEA
Brief history of tea
The discovery of tea dates back to
2700 BC in China. The first published
account of methods of planting,
processing, and drinking tea
appeared in an ancient Chinese
dictionary published around 350 AD.
Tea is manufactured from the plant
Camelia sinensis from the family:
Theacae. The leaves and buds of this
plant are used to produce different
types of tea beverages by different
processing methods. Varieties of the
drink include white tea, green tea,
oolong and black tea.
The evergreen tea shrub has 2principal
varieties:
• Camelia sinensis variant: sinensis; is
the Chinese variant that has small
leaves
• Camelia sinensis variant: assamica;
mostly found in India and has large
leaves.
Tea grown in Kenya is from India
(assamica variant).
Leaves are plucked from the shrub
using the famous ‘two leaves and
a bud’ formula. The younger the
plucked leaf the better the quality.
Tea is produced by steeping the
young leaves and leaf buds of tea
plant in freshly boiled water. It is a
stimulant drink just like coffee.
The first two leaves and a bud that is plucked.
Global production of tea statistics for 2006, 2007 and 2008 in
thousands of tonnes
Country 2006 2007 2008
China 1047 1183 1275
India 928 949 805
Kenya 311 370 346
Sri Lanka 311 305 319
Other countries 190 192 205
Turkey 202 206 198
Vietnam 151 164 175
Indonesia 144 150 151
Japan 92 94 94
Argentina 72 76 76
Iran 59 60 60
Bangladesh 58 58 59
Malawi 45 46 46
Uganda 34 45 43
Total 3 646 452 3 887 308 3 833 750
PROCESSING OF TEA
Generally, there are four categories of tea
as per processing method, namely:
• Black tea: the leaves are fully oxidised
• Green tea: non fermented
• Oolong tea: semi-fermented
• White tea: undergoes almost no
transformation once harvested
1. Black tea:
Black tea is the most consumed of the
four types of teas
Withering: Newly picked leaves are
thinly spread to dry during this process.
This is done in trays, drying racks or
drying rooms at 20-350 C for 4-18hours.
Heated air is forced over the leaves if
the climate is not suitable.
The main goal of this process is to
reduce the water content from
75% to 55-65%. By the end of
withering, the leaves lose about
50% of their weight in air and
should be pliable enough to be
rolled.
Conditioning (Rolling without cracking
of leaves): tea leaves have
phenoloxidase enzymes present in the
epidermis tissue cells and spatially
separated from their substrates. The
leaves are fed into rollers and are lightly
(without pressure) conditioned in order
to attain a uniform distribution of
phenoloxidase enzymes to enhance
oxidation step.
Rolling: the leaves are completely
macerated under pressure. Leaf cells are
broken up and the cell sap is exposed to
oxygen in air. This is considered the first
step in oxidation of tea leaves.
Fermentation: the leaves are thinly spread
in layers 5-7.5cm thick and fermentation
allowed to proceed at 35-400 C for
45minutes to 4hours. It is stopped when
the leaves attain a bright coppery-red
colour and an odour resembling that of
sour apples.
Drying/Firing: firing stops the
fermentation process. The fermented tea
leaves are heated in large ovens or
desiccators at 87-930C for 20-22minutes.
The moisture content is reduced to 3%. The
tea aroma is fixed and the coppery-red
colour changed to black (hence ‘black tea’).
CURRENT TECHNOLOGY:
Fully automated systems have been
developed and are in use for tea
processing. India and Sri Lanka tea
factories use continuous processes.
The CTC machine (Cutting, Tearing and
Curling machine) provides simultaneous
crushing; grinding and rolling thus reduce
fermentation time to 1-2 hours.
2. Green tea:
Green tea is a light clear bitter-tasting
beverage. It is aromatized with flowers of
orange, rose or jasmine.
It is not fermented. The enzymes are
therefore inactivated at an early stage to
stop fermentation. The reactions are
replaced by thermo-chemical processes.
There are two methods used in green tea
manufacture:
Japanese method:
Steamed at 950 C (kills the enzymes)
Cooled and dried
High temperature rolling (75-800 C)
Chinese method:
Roasting using smokeless charcoal in a
roaster (kills the enzymes)
Rolling and sifting
Firing
3. Oolong tea (yellow tea or red tea)
Oolong tea is semi-fermented. Yellow tea
is closer to green tea and red tea is closer
to black.
Yellow tea processing does not include
fermentation step. However, in withering,
roasting and firing, it undergoes
oxidation. It is therefore darker than
green tea.
Red tea is partially fermented. It has a
special flavour, free from the grassy note of
green tea, is formed during roasting and
higher temperature rolling.
Composition of tea
% composition by dry weight of fresh and fermented
tea leaves and of tea brews
Constituent Fresh leaf Black tea (fermented) Tea brew
Phenolic (mostly 30 5 4.5
flavanols)
Oxidised phenolic 0 25 15
compounds (mostly
thearubigins)
Proteins 15 15 Trace
Amino acids 4 4 3.5
Caffeine 4 4 3.2
Crude fibers 26 26 0
Other carbohydrates 7 7 4
Lipids 7 7 Trace
Pigments (chlorophyll 2 2 Trace
and carotenoids
Volatile compounds 0.1 0.1 0.1
Minerals 5 5 4.5
Phenolic compounds
They make up 25-35% of dry matter
content of young fresh tea leaves.
80% of phenolic compounds are
flavanol compounds while the
remainder is:
•Leucoanthocyanins
•Phenolic acids
•Flavanols
•Flavones
During fermentation of black tea,
flavanols are oxidised enzymatically to
compounds which are responsible for
the colour and flavour i.e. theaflavins
and thearubigins. The flavour intensity is
correlated with the total content of
phenolic compounds and phenol oxidase
activity.
During processing of green tea,
polyphenol oxidase is inactivated hence
flavanol oxidation is prevented. The
greenish-yellow colour of green tea is due
to the presence of flavanols and flavones.
Good quality tea is obtained only
from young leaves. This is due to
changes in the content of phenolic
compounds during the growth of the
shrub. Concentration decreases and
the composition of this fraction is
altered.
Enzymes
Polyphenol oxidases:
Are located mainly within the cells of
leaf epidermis and are of great
importance for tea fermentation. They
are responsible for the conversion of
flavanols to flavour compounds
theaflavins and thearubigins. It is
inactivated in manufacture of green tea.
Other enzymes present in tea leaves are:
• Shikimate dehydrogenase- a key
enzyme in biosynthesis of phenolic
compounds by the phenylanine
pathway
• Phenylanine ammonia lyase- catalyses
cleavage of phenylanine into trans-
cinnamate and ammonia. Also
important for biosynthesis of phenols
• Proteinases- hydrolysis of proteins present
in leaves during withering resulting in a rise
in peptides and free amino acids
• Lipoxygenase and hydroperoxide oxidase –
catalyse oxidation of linoleic acid to cis-3-
hexanal
• Alcohol dehydrogenases – enzymatic
reduction of aldehydes and their
corresponding alcohols contributing to tea
flavour
• Chlorophyllases – degradation of
chlorophyll
• Transaminases – production of
precursors for aroma constituents
• Pectinesterases- demethylation of
pectins resulting in formation of pectic
acid gel which affects permeability of
cell membrane, thus a drop in rate of
oxygen diffusion into the leaves during
fermentation.
Amino acids
Free amino acids constitute 1%of dry
matter of leaf. 50% of this is theanine (5-
N-ethylglutamine). The rest consist
protein forming amino acids.
Green tea contains more theanine than
black. This gives a characteristic chemical
difference between green tea and black
Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine)
Caffeine constitutes 2.5-5.5% of dry
matter of tea leaves: is important to the
taste of tea. Theobromine and
theophylline are also present in very low
quantities.
Biosynthesis of these two compounds
involves methylation of
hypoxanthine/xanthine.
Synthesis routes to caffeine
1,3,7-trimethylxanthine
3.7-dimethylxanthine (caffeine)
1,7-dimethylxanthine
1-methylxanthine
1,3-dimethylxanthine
Carbohydrates
Glucose consists 0.72%. Other sugars
include fructose, sucrose, ribose and
arabinose.
Rhamnose and galactose are bound to
glycosides.
Polysaccharides include cellulose,
hemicelluloses and pectic substances
Inositol is also present.
Lipids
Are present only at a low level. Polar
lipids (glycophospholipids) in young tea
leaves in predominant while glycolipids
are predominant in older leaves.
Pigments
Chlorophyll is degraded during tea
processing. Chlorophyllides and
pheophorbides (brown in colour) are
present in fermented leaves. They are
converted to pheophytines (black) during
the firing step.
Carotenoids are also found in tea, mainly
xanthophylls, β-carotene, vidaxanthin and
neoxanthin. Their content devreases
during the processing of black tea (e.g
conversion of β-carotene to β-ionone, a
significant contributor to aroma).
Volatile compounds
Black tea consists 3-5times more volatiles
than green teas. Tea aroma is based on
proper proportions of a number of key
components and also greatly affected by the
origin and processing of the tea.
Linalool, its oxides and a number of other
compounds are signigicant in black tea
aroma, while neurolidol, β-ionone and
various other compounds are present in
greater abundance in green tea.
Minerals
Tea consists 5% minerals. Potassium
is the major element- half of mineral
content.
Reactions involved in processing of tea
1. Withering:
•Enzymatic protein hydrolysis: yields
amino acids, part of which is
transaminated to corresponding keto
acids, which both provide a pool of
precursors for aroma substances.
•Chlorophyll degradation: significant
for the appearance of the end
product. Chlorophyllides and
pheophorbides (brown in colour)
are present in fermented leaves.
They are converted to pheophytines
(black) during the firing step.
•Increase of permeability of cell
which favours fermentation process
2. Conditioning: uniform
distribution of polyphenol
oxidase enzymes.
3. Rolling: the leaf is macerated
and substrates and enzymes
are brought together – a
prerequisite for
fermentation.
4. Fermentation:
• Enzymatic oxidation reactions:
Pigment and aroma substances are
formed as a result of phenolic
oxidation by polyphenol oxidases
• Oxidation of amino acids,
carotenoids and unsaturated fatty
acids, preferably by oxidized
phenols also takes place.
• Aroma development is accompanied by an
increase in occurrence of volatile compounds
typical for black tea. They are produced by
the strecker degradation reactions of amino
acids with oxidized flavanols and by oxidation
of caroteniods. This yields in β-ionone,
hydroxy β-ionone and possibly lomonene as
primary oxidation products. Secondary
reactions yield important tea aroma
constituents i.e. linalool, theaspirone and
dihydroactinidiolide.
b-carotene
Primary
oxidation b-ionone limonene
products
Secondary
oxidation dihydroactinidiolide theosporine linalool
products
5. Firing step:
• There is an intitial rise in enzumea
activity. 10-15% of theaflavins are
formed during the first 10 minutes, then
all enzymes are inactivated
• Black colour from conversion of
chlorophyllides to pheophytin. A
prerequisite for the reaction is high
temperature and acidic environment. At
higher PH undesirable brown colour is
obtained.
• The astringent character of tea is
decreased by formation of complexes
between the phenolic compounds and
proteins
• The balance of volatiles is also affected.
There is loss of volatile compounds, while
at higher temperatures, an enhancement
of the build up of typical aroma
constituents occurs (β-ionone,
theasporine, dihydroactinidiolide)
• Sugar-amino acid interactions result in
pyrazines, pyridines and quinolines.
Precautions taken during packaging and
storage of processed tea
Tea is graded by leaf size and packaged in
standard plywood chests of 20-50 kg
lined with aluminium, zinc or plastic foil.
The foils are sealed, soldered of welded
to preserve tea quality.
During storage, tea is protected from
light, heat (above 30oC) and moisture.
Otherwise, its aroma becomes flat and
light.
Other sources of odour should be
avoided during storage.
Preparation of beverage
To prepare brewed tea, hot water is
usually poured on the leaves and with
occasional swirling, left for 3-5 minutes. An
initial tea concentrate is often made which
is subsequently diluted with water. Usually
4-6 g of tea leaves per litre are required.
But stronger extracts need about 8 g.
The stimulating effects of tea is due to
caffeine.
