Commercial Tea Research Articles

Tea Production in India: Challenges and Opportunities

Normal 0 10 磅 0 2 false false false EN-US ZH-CN X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:普通表格; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times New Roman;} Tea being the most consumed of beverages next to the water on the earth. The commercial tea production was started since 1835. Tea production in India has seen a great jump of 304 percent, while the tea cultivated area increased by only 160 percent in the last five decades. The Estate owner, management, government and the laborers have equally contributed in increasing the production of Tea in India. Even though there are certain challenges for tea production in India like Low laborer productivity, High Cost of Production, Climate change, Seasonal effect, Injudicious nutrient management, Pest and disease, and consistent quality aspects of tea. Besides challenges India earned over Rs. 4000 crores foreign exchange in year 2014. Big domestic market, Scientific Soil and water management, Mechanization of plucking, Co-operative brought leaf tea factories, Reducing the cost of production by using renewable energy, Organic and Value added Tea, Tea tourism and above all the better support of the Government are some key opportunities to enhance further Indian Tea Industry.

Affectivity of Chemical Weed Control in Commercial Tea Plantations: A Case Study in Hapugastenne Estate, Maskeliya, Sri Lanka

The usage of agro chemicals on food crops is getting restricted day by day with the sanctions set by the institutes devoted in food security, mainly due to the disclosure of their harmful residual effects on human health. Thus, several Commercial Tea Plantation companies have voluntarily suspended the use of many Herbicides on Tea under their charge, which are still permitted to use in Sri Lanka. Intense emergence of Herbicide tolerant weed species on treated areas was noted in the mean time, although this crucial factor had been remained un-noticed as a result of frequent manual weeding under taken by the Tea estates under various other accounts such as plucking, fertilizer application, mossing and ferning green manure etc. Therefore, an investigation was carried out to ascertain the affectivity of Herbicides recommended for Commercial Tea Plantations, over a period of 24 months in Hapugastenne Tea Garden, Maskeliya, since year 2012 at five different elevations, with five replicates set at each elevation. Results show that over 20 weed species out of 23 acutely problematic weeds which cause great damage to Tea crop, are entirely tolerant to Diurone, Paraquat and Glyphosate and cannot be controlled by using said Herbicides. It was further revealed that such weed species have the ability to turn a Tea Plantation into a totally unproductive and economically non-viable unit within a time period of one to two years depending on the herbicide tolerant weed species present. These weeds are capable of suppressing the growth of the Tea bushes by making them stunted in growth with poor bush frames, turn the foliage yellowish and induce defoliation, unless they were removed completely by manual uprooting.

Theanine and Caffeine Content of Infusions Prepared from Commercial Tea Samples.

Background:Caffeine and L-theanine are pharmacologically important constituents of tea, especially due to their effects on the central nervous system. The effects of these two compounds are opposite: While caffeine is a well-known stimulant, theanine has a relaxing effect. Tea processing may influence the caffeine and theanine content of tea leaves.Objective:The aim of our work was to quantify these constituents from a set of commercial products to reveal the possible correlations of caffeine and theanine content and processing methods.Materials and Methods:Theanine and caffeine contents of 37 commercial white, green, oolong, black, and pu-erh tea samples were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector.Results:The mean L-theanine content of white, green, oolong, and black teas were 6.26, 6.56, 6.09, and 5.13 mg/g, respectively. The same values for caffeine content were 16.79, 16.28, 19.31, and 17.73 mg/g.Conclusion:Though the effect of processing on theanine content was evident, quantification for these analytes does not seem to be a good criterion to discriminate the different types of tea. Caffeine content provided no information on the effect of processing, and the theanine content of the samples was rather variable, independently from the type of the tea. The quantitative analysis of caffeine and theanine is essential to assess the stimulating effect of the tea, however, for chemical profiling further secondary metabolites have to be determined.SUMMARY Thirty-seven commercial white, green, oolong, black, and pu-erh tea samples were analyzed for caffeine and theanine contentWhile the caffeine content was similar, the theanine contents of black teas were slightly lower and practically zero in pu-erhThe great variability of these two compound within the tea categories allows no discrimination of tea types based solely on theanine and caffeine quantificationContrary to the previous data, the way of processing has no determining effect on theanine content. FigureAbbreviations used: CZE: Capillary zone electrophoresis, DAD: Diode array detector, EEG: Electroencephalography, GC: Gas chromatography, HPLC: High-performance liquid chromatography, IR: Infrared spectroscopy, MEKC: Micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography, MS: Mass spectrometry, RP: Reversed phase, RSD: Relative standard deviation, SD: Standard deviation, TLC: Tile liquid chromatography, UV: Ultraviolet

Sustainable Weed Management in the Commercial Tea Industry: The Case of Hapugastenne Estate, Maskeliya

Tea sector of Sri Lanka earns US$ 1.6 billion net foreign exchange annually while caring over one million direct and indirect employments and 2.5 million dependents. Controlling of problematic weeds is important to maintain steady and quality crop levels in commercial tea. Real effectiveness of plant killer chemicals (weedicides) in commercial tea is questionable against the emergence of various unintended and unforeseen detrimental side effects on the eco-systems, human health and tea bushes. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the economic, environmental and social benefits of Herbicide Free Integrated Weed Management (HFIWM) over chemical weeding in the commercial tea industry. A commercial scale trial on HFIWM was conducted in Hapuhastenne Estate, where natural regeneration of vegetation was allowed to form a ground cover, ceasing the usage of weedicides completely, whilst selective periodic removal of harmful weeds grown in the experimental tea area. These results were compared against the control plots of non-HFIWM tea area in the garden. Analysis showed an improvement in overall performance of tea bushes in the long run with HFIWM, enhancing the product quality and soil environment. Moreover HFIWM approach exhibits many direct and indirect benefits over chemical weeding in commercial tea in the lines of crop productivity, cost of inputs, public health, environment and the socio-economic factors. HFIWM approach was therefore, found economically, socially and environmentally more desirable. The study reveals HFIWM approach could be a sound solution to mitigate many of the constraints faced by the present day commercial tea industry in Sri Lanka.

Analysis of Naturally Occurring Fluoride in Commercial Teas and Estimation of Its Daily Intake through Tea Consumption.

The aim of this study was to determine the levels of fluoride in commercial teas and to estimate the contribution of tea consumption to the fluoride recommended daily allowance. A total of 558 tea products in 6 categories, green tea, black tea, oolong tea, pu'er tea, white tea, and reprocessed tea, were collected in the period from 2010 to 2013. The levels of fluoride in infusions of these teas were determined by a fluoride-ion selective electrode. The mean fluoride level in all of the tea samples was 85.16 mg/kg. For each category of tea, the mean fluoride levels were 63.04, 99.74, 52.19, 101.67, 159.78, and 110.54 mg/kg for green tea, black tea, white tea, pu'er tea, oolong tea, and reprocessed tea, respectively. The fluoride content of tea from 4 tea zones in descending order were Southerntea zone (111.39 mg/kg) > Southwest tea zone (78.78 mg/kg) > Jiangnan tea zone (71.73 mg/kg) > Jiangbei tea zone (64.63 mg/kg). These areas produced teas with lower fluoride levels than available foreign-produced tea (161.11 mg/kg). The mean chronic daily intake (CDI) was 0.02 mg/(kg•day) or 1.27 mg/kg. Generally, consuming tea from these 6 categories does not result in the intake of excessive amounts of fluoride for the general population.

Chiral cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography and chemometric techniques for green tea samples origin discrimination

Catechins and methylxanthines were determined in 92 green tea (GT) samples originating from Japan and China by using micellar electrokinetic chromatography with the addition of (2-hydroxypropyl)-β-cyclodextrin. GT samples showed high concentrations of (−)-epigallocatechin gallate and caffeine, with (−)-epigallocatechin, (−)-epicatechin gallate and (−)-epicatechin in relevant content and (+)-catechin, (−)-catechin and theobromine in much lower amounts. The amount of all the considered compounds was higher for Chinese GTs, with the exception of (−)-epicatechin gallate. Pattern recognition methods were applied to discriminate GTs according to geographical origin, which is an important factor to determine quality and reputation of a commercial tea product. Data analysis was performed by principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis as exploratory techniques. Linear discriminant analysis and quadratic discriminant analysis were utilized as discrimination techniques, obtaining a very good rate of correct classification and prediction.

Nutritional Composition and Trace Elements Contents of Unfermented and Fermented Clinacanthus nutans L. Herbal Tea

Clinacanthus nutans L. (locally known as ‘Sabah Snake Grass’) has been used traditionally to treat chronic diseases. However, there is insufficient information regarding the nutritional quality of the herbal. This study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional properties and trace elements contents of unfermented and fermented herbal teas developed from C. nutans leaves using different drying techniques (microwave- oven dried and freeze dried) in different infusion time (1, 2, 5, 10, 15 and 20 min). The proximate analysis were conducted according to AOAC’s standard methods, while, the colorimetric color of infusions were determined using HunterLab Color Meter. The trace elements in infusions were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrophotometric (ICP-OES) analysis. Among the C. nutans herbal teas, the freeze dried of unfermented herbal tea showed high ash (12.39 ± 0.39%) and fat (2.23 ± 0.10%) content, while, protein content was showed high in freeze dried of fermented herbal tea (23.15 ± 0.51%). Carbohydrate content was showed high in microwave-oven dried of unfermented herbal tea (63.40 ± 0.53%) with 3026.24 ± 28.23 kcal/kg of Metabolizable Energy (ME). For color infusion determination, C. nutans herbal teas displayed no significant difference (P >0.05) in color darkness as compared to commercial teas (L: 3.63 to 5.77). There were no significant differences between unfermented and fermented C. nutans herbal tea for its greenish (a: -2.69 to -1.20) and yellowish (b: 3.45 to 5.59) color infusion. Sixteen elements (Al, Ba, Be, Ca, Fe, In, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Zn, Se, Sr, Tl and Si) were detected in the C. nutans and commercial dried leaves. Potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and sodium (Na) were higher in C. nutans herbal infusions as compared to commercial teas infusions. Consumption of these herbal teas as dietary intake is able to overcome nutrients and minerals deficiency.

Determination and quality evaluation of green tea extracts through qualitative and quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker (QAMS)

The quality of tea is mainly attributed to tea polyphenols and caffeine. In this paper, a new strategy for quality evaluation of green tea extracts was explored and verified through qualitative and quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker (QAMS). Taguchi Design was introduced to evaluate the fluctuations of the relative conversion factors (fx) of tea catechins, gallic acid and caffeine to epigallocatechin gallate. The regression model (Sig.=0.000) and the deviations (R2>0.999) between QAMS and normal external standard method proved the consistency of the two methods. Hierarchical cluster analysis and canonical discriminant analysis were employed to classify 26 batches of commercial Longjing green tea extracts (LJGTEs) collected from different producers. The results showed a significant difference in component profile between the samples from different origins. The QAMS method was verified to be an alternative and promising method to comprehensively and effectively control the quality of LJGTEs from different origins.

Assessment of Culturable Tea Rhizobacteria Isolated from Tea Estates of Assam, India for Growth Promotion in Commercial Tea Cultivars

In the present study, 217 rhizobacterial isolates were obtained from six different tea estates of Assam, India and subjected to preliminary in vitro plant growth promotion (PGP) screening for indole acetic acid (IAA) production, phosphate solubilization, siderophore production and ammonia production. Fifty isolates showed all the PGP traits and five isolates did not exhibit any PGP traits. These 50 potential isolates were further analyzed for quantitative estimation of the PGP traits along with the aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase, protease and cellulose production. After several rounds of screening, four rhizobacteria were selected based on their maximum ability to produce in vitro PGP traits and their partial 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that they belong to Enterobacter lignolyticus strain TG1, Burkholderia sp. stain TT6, Bacillus pseudomycoides strain SN29 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain KH45. To evaluate the efficacy of these four rhizobacteria as plant growth promoters, three different commercially important tea clones TV1, TV19, and TV20 plants were inoculated with these rhizobacteria in greenhouse condition and compared to the uninoculated control plants. Though, all the rhizobacterial treatments showed an increase in plant growth compared to control but the multivariate PCA analysis confirmed more growth promotion by TG1 and SN29 strains than the other treatments in all three clones. To validate this result, the fold change analysis was performed and it revealed that the tea clone TV19 plants inoculated with the E. lignolyticus strain TG1 showed maximum root biomass production with an increase in 4.3-fold, shoot biomass with increase in 3.1-fold, root length by 2.2-fold and shoot length by 1.6-fold. Moreover, two way ANOVA analysis also revealed that rhizobacterial treatment in different tea clones showed the significant increase (P < 0.05) in growth promotion compared to the control. Thus, this study indicates that the potential of these indigenous plant growth promoting rhizobacteria isolates to use as microbial inoculation or biofertilizer for growth promotion of tea crops.

Commercial Honeybush (Cyclopia spp.) Tea Extract Inhibits Osteoclast Formation and Bone Resorption in RAW264.7 Murine Macrophages-An in vitro Study.

Honeybush tea, a sweet tasting caffeine-free tea that is indigenous to South Africa, is rich in bioactive compounds that may have beneficial health effects. Bone remodeling is a physiological process that involves the synthesis of bone matrix by osteoblasts and resorption of bone by osteoclasts. When resorption exceeds formation, bone remodeling can be disrupted resulting in bone diseases such as osteoporosis. Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells derived from hematopoietic precursors of monocytic lineage. These precursors fuse and differentiate into mature osteoclasts in the presence of receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL), produced by osteoblasts. In this study, the in vitro effects of an aqueous extract of fermented honeybush tea were examined on osteoclast formation and bone resorption in RAW264.7 murine macrophages. We found that commercial honeybush tea extract inhibited osteoclast formation and TRAP activity which was accompanied by reduced bone resorption and disruption of characteristic cytoskeletal elements of mature osteoclasts without cytotoxicity. Furthermore, honeybush tea extract decreased expression of key osteoclast specific genes, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and cathepsin K. This study demonstrates for the first time that honeybush tea may have potential anti-osteoclastogenic effects and therefore should be further explored for its beneficial effects on bone.

Enhanced Bioaccessibility of Crocetin Sugar Esters from Saffron in Infusions Rich in Natural Phenolic Antioxidants.

The present study aims to examine whether and to what extent the bioaccessibility of the major saffron apocarotenoids, namely crocetin sugar esters (CRTSEs), is affected by the presence of strong water-soluble antioxidants, ingredients of the herbs found in commercial tea blends with saffron. An in vitro digestion model was applied to infusions from these products to investigate the possible changes. All of the studied infusions were rich in total phenols (9.9–22.5 mg caffeic acid equivalents/100 mg dry infusion) and presented strong DPPH radical scavenging activity regardless of the composition of the corresponding herbal blends. RP-HPLC-DAD and LC-MS analysis enabled the grouping of the infusions into hydroxycinnamic acid-rich and in flavan-3-ol-rich ones. CRTSEs in herbal tea infusions were found to be significantly more bioaccessible (66.3%–88.6%) than those in the reference saffron infusion (60.9%). The positive role of strong phenolic antioxidants (caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid) on the stability of CRTSEs was also evidenced in model binary mixtures. On the contrary, cinnamic acid, exerting no antioxidant activity, did not have such an effect. Our findings suggest that strong radical scavengers may protect the crocetin sugar esters from oxidation during digestion when present in excess.

Determination of common inorganic anions in tea samples by ion chromatography

Plants exposure to environmental sources of common inorganic anions (chloride, nitrate, phosphate, and sulphate) is discussed. Various commercial tea products were examined for the content of water soluble anions by the use of sample preparation procedure corresponding to the conditions generally applied for the preparation of tea infusions (2 g of tea, 5 min brewing time, 250 ml final volume) widely consumed by humans. Suppressed ion chromatography (IC) (Metrohm Metrosep A Supp 5 (150 mm × 4 mm) column) with conductometric detection was used for the determination. The IC technique allows isolation of the signals of particular anions and their detection (DLs of 0.012 (Cl−), 0.019 (NO3−), 0.047 (PO 43–), and 0.011 (SO 42–) mg l−1) within 15 min.

Development of Fine Bamboo Leaf Powder and Its Color Stability

Abstract To develop a color stable and fine bamboo leaf powder (BLP) as a functional green biomaterial, bamboo leaf (BL) purchased from Sasa borealis and cultivated in Damyang, Jeonnam was treated with different conditions and BLP was evaluated. The four treatments comprised of boiling in water, in zinc chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and vinegar solutions, BLP4 was treated with 2% ZnCl 2 for 1 h, BLP5 was treated with 1% ZnCl 2 for 2 h, and BLP6 was treated with 1% ZnCl 2 +10% NaCl for 1 h. The particle size distribution, ash content, water binding capacity, and color change after heating in acidic solution were compared to commercial fine green tea ( GTP) and bamboo leaf powders (CBLP). The particle size (cumulative 90%) of BLP was finest in BLP4 followed by BLP6 < BLP5 < GTP < CBLP. The water binding capacity of GTP was the highest and that of BLP was negatively correlated with particle size. After hea ting in acidic solution, the color of commercial GTP and CBLP changed from bright green to olive green, but the treated BLPs remained b right green. Especially, the -a (greenness) values for the commercial powders decreased from 11.2-13.6 to 3.1-3.8, while those of the treated BLPs did not change.Key words: Sasa borealis , bamboo leaf powder, fine particle size, color stability, acid

PP57 - Examination of the Antioxidant capacity of water extracts of common teas using the Cellular Antioxidant Activity (CAA) assay

Oxidative stress leads to a high production of free radicals, which are related with more than a hundred of human diseases, including cancer, atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s, and may be important in the process of ageing. Natural products rich in antioxidant compounds can neutralize in vitro the potentially harmful free radicals, suggesting that an antioxidants-rich diet might provide health benefits. Several in vitro methods have been developed to test the antioxidant potential of foods. Though, these assays do not evaluate the antioxidants in a physiological environment and do not take consideration of the complexity of a biological system. The goal of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of water extracts of commercial teas within a cellular model. The antioxidant activity was determined using the peroxyl radical scavenging capacity (PSC) and the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) methods and compared with the in vivo results obtained with the cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assay. The results of this study showed that despite some extracts have a relative high ranking of antioxidant potential, this rank is dependent on the chemical method used. Furthermore, the chemical results are weakly correlated with the cell-based method. Considering the fact that antioxidants are effective in preventing various chronic diseases, the potential antioxidant role of dietary antioxidants within a cellular model certainly merits further attention. The CAA assay takes into account some key biological parameters that have to be considered to estimate the in vivo potential result.

The Spectral Emission Characteristics of Laser Induced Plasma on Tea Samples**supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61205149), the Scientific and Technological Talents Training Project of Chongqing, China (No. CSTC2013kjrc-qnrc40002), the Scientific and Technological Project of Nan'an District (2011) and the Visiting Scholarship of State Key Laboratory of Power Transmission Equipment & System Security and New Technology at

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) provides a useful technique for food security as well as determining nutrition contents. In this paper, optical emission studies of laser induced plasma on commercial tea samples were carried out. The spectral intensities of Mg, Mn, Ca, Al, C and CN vibration bands varying with laser energy and the detection delay time of an intensified charge coupled device were studied. In addition, the relative concentrations of six microelements, i.e., Mg, Mn, Ca, Al, Na and K, were analyzed semi-quantitatively as well as H, for four kinds of tea samples. Moreover, the plasma parameters were explored, including electron temperature and electron number density. The electron temperature and electron number density were around 11000 K and 1017 cm−3, respectively. The results show that it is reasonable to consider the LIBS technique as a new method for analyzing the compositions of tea leaf samples.

Determination and comparison of phenolic compound content and antioxidant activity of selected local Zimbabwean herbal teas with exotic Aspalathus linearis

Phenolic compounds have several biological effects such as anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and antioxidant properties due to their ability to neutralise free radicals. The aim of the study was to determine total phenolic content and antioxidant activities of Zimbabwean indigenous herbal teas and comparing them with Aspalathus linearis (Rooibos™), a commercial South African herbal tea. Plant leaves of Myrothamnus flabellifolius, Fadogia ancylantha, Lippia javanica, and Ficus sycamore and a concoction of Adansonia digitata fruit pulp, seed and fibre were analysed. Total phenolic content was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteau method. The butanol–HCl assay was used to determine condensed tannin content. Antioxidant properties were determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), reducing power and inhibition of phospholipid peroxidation assays. F. sycamore had the highest total phenolic content (14.02±0.01g GAE/100g) while A. digitata fruit pulp mixture had the lowest (0.79±0.28g GAE/100g). The highest tannin content was found in F. sycamore (1.98±0.12g/100g and the lowest was in L. javanica (0.1174±0.01g LE/100g). Only F. sycamore exhibited higher antioxidant activity than A. linearis in all antioxidant assays whereas activity in other herbal teas was interchangeably higher or lower depending on antioxidant assay carried out.

Voltammetric determination of catechin using single-walled carbon nanotubes/poly(hydroxymethylated-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) composite modified electrode

A simple, sensitive, and reliable carboxylic group functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (f-SWCNTs)/poly(hydroxymethylated-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOTM) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was successfully developed for the electrochemical determination of catechin (CAT). In view of the merits of extraordinary conductivity of PEDOTM and excellent electrocatalytic property of f-SWCNTs, the f-SWCNTs/PEDOTM/GCE modified electrode exhibited a strong electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of CAT. Under optimized conditions, the proposed modified electrode showed a wide linear response for CAT in the concentration range between 0.039 and 40.84 μM, with a low detection limit of 0.013 μM. Furthermore, the modified electrode also exhibited a good reproducibility and long-term stability, as well as high selectivity, which also was a good candidate for the electrochemical detection and analysis of CAT in commercial green tea.

Effects of brewing conditions on the antioxidant capacity of twenty-four commercial green tea varieties

A novel paper-based Nanoceria Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (NanoCerac) assay for antioxidant detection (Sharpe, Frasco, Andreescu, & Andreescu, 2012), has been adapted for the first time as a high-throughput method, in order to measure the effect of brewing conditions and re-infusion on the antioxidant capacity of twenty-four commercial green teas. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, frequently applied to complex foods and beverages, was used as a comparator measure of antioxidant capacity. A novel measure of sustained antioxidant capacity, the total inherent antioxidant capacity (TI-NanoCerac and TI-ORAC) was measured by infusing each tea six times. Effects of brewing conditions (temperature, brew time, etc.) were assessed using one popular tea as a standard. Both NanoCerac and ORAC assays correlated moderately (R2 0.80±0.19). The average first-brew NanoCerac, TI-NanoCerac, first-brew ORAC and TI-ORAC were: 0.73±0.1GAE/g tea; 2.4±0.70mmolGAE/g tea; 1.0±0.3mmolTE/g tea and 2.1±0.71mmolTE/g tea respectively. Brewing conditions including water temperature and infusion time significantly affected antioxidant capacity. The high-throughput adaptation of the original NanoCerac assay tested here offered advantages over ORAC, including portability and rapid analysis.

Descriptive Sensory Evaluation and Consumer Acceptability of Sujeonggwa in a Tea Bag

Abstract Sujeonggwa is a popular Korean traditional beverage. However, consumers only prepare it at home on special occasions due to the time and effort required. Developing a convenient form of Sujeonggwa may promote its consumption. The objectives of this study were to 1) develop Sujeonggwa in a tea bag using different sweeteners and 2) describe the characteristics of Sujeonggwa's flavor in tea bag samples and 3) determine how well consumers accept the tea bag samples. A total of four types of Sujeonggwa in a tea bag were developed: two samples with varying amount of sugar, another sample using sugar and stevia and the last sample using sugar and short chain fructo-oligosaccharide as a sweetener. A commercial ginger tea and cinnamon tea were used as control products. Descriptive analysis was conducted on the same six samples and a descriptive panel identified its attributes. A total of 61 consumers evaluated acceptability using a nine-point hedonic scale and how they felt about intensities of the samples using a just-about-right scale. The results indicated that consumers liked Sujeonggwa samples in a tea bag more than commercial ginger tea and cinnamon tea. Key words: Sujeonggwa, tea bag, descriptive, acceptability, sweetener

Pro-toxic dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids in the traditional Andean herbal medicine “asmachilca”

Ethnopharmacological relevanceAsmachilca is a Peruvian medicinal herb preparation ostensibly derived from Aristeguietia gayana (Wedd.) R.M. King & H. Rob. (Asteraceae: Eupatorieae). Decoctions of the plant have a reported bronchodilation effect that is purported to be useful in the treatment of respiratory allergies, common cold and bronchial asthma. However, its attractiveness to pyrrolizidine alkaloid-pharmacophagous insects indicated a potential for toxicity for human consumers. Aim of the studyTo determine if commercial asmachilca samples, including fully processed herbal teas, contain potentially toxic 1,2-dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids. Materials and methodsTwo brands of “Asmachilca” herbal tea bags and four other commercial samples of botanical materials for preparing asmachilca medicine were extracted and analyzed using HPLC–esi(+)MS and MS/MS for the characteristic retention times and mass spectra of known dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids. Other suspected dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids were tentatively identified based on MS/MS profiles and high resolution molecular weight determinations. Further structure elucidation of isolated alkaloids was based on 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. ResultsAsmachilca attracted many species of moths which are known to pharmacophagously gather dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids. Analysis of 5 of the asmachilca samples revealed the major presence of the dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloid monoesters rinderine and supinine, and their N-oxides. The 6th sample was very similar but did not contain supinine or its N-oxide. Small quantities of other dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloid monoesters, including echinatine and intermedine, were also detected. In addition, two major metabolites, previously undescribed, were isolated and identified as dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloid monoesters with two “head-to-tail” linked viridifloric and/or trachelanthic acids. Estimates of total pyrrolizidine alkaloid and N-oxide content in the botanical components of asmachilca varied from 0.4% to 0.9% (w/dw, dry weight) based on equivalents of lycopsamine. The mean pyrrolizidine alkaloid content of a hot water infusion of a commercial asmachilca herbal tea bag was 2.2±0.5mg lycopsamine equivalents. Morphological and chemical evidence showed that asmachilca is prepared from different plant species. ConclusionsAll asmachilca samples and the herbal tea infusions contained toxicologically-relevant concentrations of pro-toxic 1,2-dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloid esters and, therefore, present a risk to the health of humans. This raises questions concerning the ongoing unrestricted availability of such products on the Peruvian and international market. In addition to medical surveys of consumers of asmachilca, in the context of chronic disease potentially associated with ingestion of the dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids, the botanical origins of asmachilca preparations require detailed elucidation.