TITLE:
Influence of Tea Leaf Particle Size on Catechin Extraction and Green Tea Sensory Acceptance
AUTHORS:
Dongyang Li, Yu Zhang, Ritsuko Tamura, Toshiro Nakajima, Yuko Caballero
KEYWORDS:
Blend Tea, Catechin Content, Sensory Test, Bitterness, Palatability
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.14 No.11,
November
27,
2023
ABSTRACT: The intensity of the bitterness of catechins
increases with increased concentration, but the taste palatability decreased in
green tea extract. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a blend of
tea leaf particles of various sizes would result in a good balance between
catechin content and appreciable taste. The control is common tea (CT) with 6 -
10 mm long leaves. Blend tea (BT) was prepared by mixing 5 mm and 120 - 130 mm
long tea leaves in a ratio of 3:2. The
catechin content of hot water extracts was analyzed by HPLC, and the
sensory test was conducted with 99 volunteers. In BT, the total catechin
content was significantly higher than that in CT. The sensory test results
revealed that BT was less bitter and had more preferable color than CT. More
catechins were extracted from BT, but it tasted less bitter. Thus, the
recalibration of the tea leaf particle size can result in good balance between
catechin content and palatability.