New Research Reveals Impact of Pre- and Post-Harvesting Techniques on Ready-to-Drink Tea

New research from Mahidol University in Thailand has shed light on the effects of pre- and post-harvesting techniques on the phenolic compositions, antioxidant potentials, and health properties of commercially available ready-to-drink teas. The study investigated the impact of different processing methods on the phenolic contents and health properties of eleven commercially available ready-to-drink teas.

Key Takeaways:

• The research found that pre-harvest shading led to higher contents of catechin, epicatechin gallate, chlorogenic acid, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid in ready-to-drink teas.
• Fermentation significantly increased rutin content, resulting in higher total phenolic contents in fermented teas.
• Antioxidants in shaded tea tended to follow a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT)-based mechanism, while the single electron transfer (SET)-based mechanism was a preferable reaction pathway for antioxidants in fermented teas.
• The ability to inhibit key enzymes was more pronounced in fermented teas than in shaded tea, potentially attributed to the biological activities of certain phenolics.
• The addition of flavors, such as honey lemon and kyoho grape, led to higher contents of catechins than the original green tea without added flavor.
• The knowledge from this research will benefit the development of ready-to-drink teas with particular phenolics and health-related properties.

Statistics:

• The study investigated the phenolic compositions, antioxidant potentials, and inhibitory activities against key enzymes relevant to non-communicable diseases, including hyperlipidemia, type II diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.
• Eleven commercially available ready-to-drink teas were analyzed in the study.
• The results indicated that pre-harvest shading led to higher contents of catechin, epicatechin gallate, chlorogenic acid, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid.
• Fermentation led to higher total phenolic contents and increased rutin content.
• Antioxidant potentials and enzyme inhibitions varied for different ready-to-drink tea varieties.

Sources:

• NewsRx. Mahidol University Researchers Have Provided New Data on Agriculture and Food Research (The effect of pre- and post-harvesting techniques on phenolics, antioxidant activities and key enzyme inhibitions of commercially available ready-to-drink ...). Life Science Weekly. June 10, 2025; p 2223.
• The effect of pre- and post-harvesting techniques on phenolics, antioxidant activities and key enzyme inhibitions of commercially available ready-to-drink teas. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 2025, 21():101853.