title: Enzymatic treatment to improve the quality of black tea extracts.
abstract: Enzymatic extraction was investigated to improve the quality of black tea extracts with pretreatment of pectinase and tannase independently, successively and simultaneously. Pectinase improved the extractable-solids-yield (ESY) up to 11.5%, without much of an improvement in polyphenols recovery, while tannase pre-treatment showed a significant improvement in polyphenols recovery (14.3%) along with an 11.1% improvement in ESY. Among the four treatments, tannase-alone treatment showed the maximum improvement in tea quality, with higher polyphenols-in-extracted solids. Treatments involving tannase resulted in the significant release of gallic acid, due to its hydrolytic activity, leading to greater solubility besides favourably improving TF/TR ratio. The results suggested that employing a single enzyme, tannase, for the pre-treatment of black tea is desirable. Enzymatic extraction may be preferred over enzymatic clarification as it not only displayed reduction in tea cream and turbidity but also improved the recovery of polyphenols and ESY in the extract, as well as maintaining a good balance of tea quality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Engineering, Central Food Technological Research Institute, CSIR, Mysore 570 020, India.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Chandini
authors.affiliation: Department of Plantation Products, Spices and Flavor Technology, Central Food Technological Research Institute, CSIR, Mysore 570 020, India.
authors.forename: L Jaganmohan
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Central Leather Research Institute, CSIR, Chennai 600 020, India.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Gowthaman
authors.affiliation: Food Safety and Analytical Quality Control Laboratory, Central Food Technological Research Institute, CSIR, Mysore 570 020, India.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Haware
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Engineering, Central Food Technological Research Institute, CSIR, Mysore 570 020, India. Electronic address: subbu@cftri.res.in.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Subramanian
keywords: Black tea; Enzymatic extraction; Extractable solids yield (ESY); Pectinase; Polyphenols; Tannase