High-efficiency multistage withering process for white tea
Through the alternating withering process of low-temperature and high-temperature withering process and the method of turning flowing air, the problems of unstable quality and high cost in the withering process of white tea are solved, and efficient and stable tea production and preservation are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510738207.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-04
- Publication Date
- 2025-08-22
AI Technical Summary
Traditional white tea withering methods rely too much on natural environmental conditions, resulting in unstable tea quality and high production costs. The existing withering methods require manual intervention, prolong the process time and the quality cannot be unified.
A multi-stage withering process with alternating low and high temperatures is adopted, combined with the flowing air turn under mild conditions, to control temperature, humidity and ventilation, promote the conversion of internal ingredients of the tea, prevent mold and improve withering efficiency.
It has achieved the improvement of the stability and efficiency of white tea quality, reduced manual intervention, extended shelf life, and ensured the freshness and formation of aroma compounds of tea.
Smart Images
Figure BDA0005433913970000031
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of tea processing, and in particular relates to a high-efficiency multi-stage withering process for white tea. Background Art
[0002] White Tea, one of the six major types of tea, is made from fresh tea leaves through withering and drying processes. As a lightly fermented tea, it is famous for its unique production process and fresh taste. Withering is a process in tea processing, which is the water array of fresh tea leaves, and the volume is reduced. During the withering process, the tea leaves undergo a series of hydrolysis and oxidation changes, such as an increase in amino acids, a fresher tea soup, and the conversion of ester catechins into non-ester catechins. There are many methods of withering, including natural withering, sun withering and trough withering. Traditional withering methods such as natural withering are highly dependent on the natural environment. If encountering rainy weather or extreme climate, the tea leaves are prone to mold or quality deterioration. The current withering methods: sun withering and trough withering require manual intervention in the operation process, which leads to extended process duration, inability to achieve uniform quality, and increased production costs for enterprises. Summary of the Invention
[0003] In response to the technical problems in the prior art that the traditional white tea withering method is overly dependent on natural environmental conditions and that the current withering method requires manual intervention, resulting in extended time and the inability to uniformize product quality, the present invention provides a high-efficiency multi-stage withering process for white tea. By withering at two different temperatures and turning the white tea leaves with flowing air under mild conditions, the efficiency of the withering process is improved, while also ensuring the consistency of the quality of the produced white tea leaves.
[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: a high-efficiency multi-stage withering process for white tea, comprising the following steps:
[0005] 1) Spreading fresh white tea leaves flat, adjusting the temperature and humidity, and continuously introducing air evenly from the bottom to perform a low-temperature withering reaction, thereby obtaining the first low-temperature withered white tea leaves;
[0006] 2) heating the low-temperature withered white tea leaves obtained in step 1), maintaining the humidity, and continuously introducing uniform air from below to perform a high-temperature withering reaction, thereby obtaining the first high-temperature withered white tea leaves;
[0007] 3) The white tea leaves withered for the first time at high temperature obtained in step 2) are subjected to steps 1) and 2) in a cycle to obtain withered white tea leaves.
[0008] The present invention promotes the effective conversion of beneficial components in the tea leaves by setting the white tea withering process to alternate between low-temperature withering without sunlight exposure and high-temperature withering under sunlight exposure. The low temperature helps to slow down the oxidation process and maintain the freshness of the tea leaves, while the high temperature can increase the formation of aroma compounds. Uniform air is introduced from the bottom of the tea leaves and the temperature and humidity are accurately controlled to increase the contact area between the tea leaves and the outside world, thereby increasing the withering rate and effectively preventing the tea leaves from becoming moldy during the withering process, thereby extending the shelf life of the finished tea.
[0009] Furthermore, in step 1), the temperature of low temperature withering is 20-25°C, the humidity is 60-75%,
[0010] Furthermore, in step 1), the low-temperature withering duration is 4 to 6 hours.
[0011] Furthermore, in step 2), the temperature of high temperature withering is 26-35° C., and the humidity is 60-75%.
[0012] Furthermore, in step 2), the high temperature withering time is 2 hours.
[0013] Furthermore, in step 3), the cycle is performed 4 to 6 times.
[0014] Furthermore, the flow rate of the air continuously introduced in step 1) and step 2) is 0.1 to 0.2 m / s.
[0015] Furthermore, in step 1), the thickness of the fresh white tea leaves spread out is 4 to 6 cm.
[0016] Furthermore, in step 1), the length of the fresh white tea leaves is 2 to 3 cm.
[0017] Furthermore, in step 2), the high-temperature withering reaction is exposed to simulated sunlight throughout the entire process.
[0018] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:
[0019] 1) Alternating low-temperature withering and high-temperature withering promotes the effective conversion of beneficial components in the tea. Low temperature helps slow down the oxidation process and maintain the freshness of the tea, while high temperature can increase the formation of aroma compounds.
[0020] 2) Evenly introduce air from the bottom of the tea leaves and accurately control the temperature and humidity, which increases the contact area between the tea leaves and the outside world, increases the withering rate, and effectively prevents the tea leaves from becoming moldy during the withering process, thereby extending the shelf life of the finished tea.
[0021] 3) The entire withering process of the present invention does not require human intervention, which ensures quality while reducing contact with the outside world and improving withering efficiency. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] All features disclosed in this specification, or all steps in the disclosed methods or processes, except mutually exclusive features and / or steps, can be combined in any manner.
[0023] Example 1
[0024] A high-profile multi-stage withering process for white tea comprises the following steps:
[0025] 1) Low temperature withering reaction
[0026] Fresh white tea leaves of uniform size are spread out to a thickness of 4 cm. The temperature in the reaction chamber is adjusted to 20°C and the humidity is adjusted to 70%. Air with a temperature of 20°C and a humidity of 70% is continuously introduced from the bottom of the spread tea leaves at a flow rate of 0.1 m / s to carry out a low-temperature withering reaction. The reaction is carried out for 4 hours to obtain the first low-temperature withered white tea leaves.
[0027] 2) High temperature withering reaction
[0028] The white tea leaves withered for the first time at low temperature obtained in step 1) are transferred into a reaction chamber with a temperature of 28° C. and a humidity of 70%. Air with a flow rate of 0.1 m / s, a temperature of 28° C. and a humidity of 70% is continuously introduced into the bottom of the white tea leaves. A high-temperature withering reaction is carried out under the action of a fluorescent lamp to simulate sunlight irradiation throughout the reaction process. The reaction is carried out for 2 hours to obtain the white tea leaves withered for the first time at high temperature.
[0029] 3) Circular reaction
[0030] The white tea leaves withered for the first time at high temperature obtained in step 2) are subjected to steps 1) and 2) in sequence, and the steps are repeated 5 times to obtain withered white tea leaves.
[0031] 4) Performance testing
[0032] The withered white tea leaves obtained in step 3) are processed according to a traditional tea-making method to obtain a finished white tea product. The finished white tea product is tested for moisture content, dry tea color, and tea soup color.
[0033] Comparative Example 1
[0034] The only difference between this comparative example and Example 1 is that in this comparative example, fluorescent lamps are used to simulate sunlight irradiation throughout step 1) the low-temperature withering reaction, and the rest of the process is the same as in Example 1.
[0035] Table 1 Effect of intermittent sunlight exposure on the quality of white tea
[0036] Sunlight exposure time Final moisture content Dry tea color Tea soup color Example 1 Only wither at high temperature 40％ Bright golden clear and bright Comparative Example 1 Full journey 35％ Slightly dark yellow Slightly turbid
[0037] According to the data in Table 1, it can be seen from the comparison that exposing white tea to sunlight throughout the withering process will result in a low final moisture content of the tea leaves, poor color, and a poor taste of the tea soup. The reason is speculated to be that full exposure to sunlight will affect the formation of some aromatic substances, affect the transformation of the internal components of the tea leaves, and thus affect the appearance of the dry tea and the taste of the tea soup.
[0038] Comparative Example 2
[0039] The only difference between this comparative example and Example 1 is that in this comparative example, in step 1), the time of the low-temperature withering reaction is 2 hours, and the rest of the process is the same as in Example 1.
[0040] Table 2 Effect of shortening the low temperature withering reaction time on the withering effect
[0041] Low temperature withering reaction time Water content Linalool content (mg / kg) Geraniol content (mg / kg) Example 1 4h 40％ 0.83 0.62 Comparative Example 2 2h 45％ 0.67 0.44
[0042] From the data in Table 2, it can be concluded that when the low-temperature withering reaction time is shortened, it will lead to uneven moisture distribution of the tea leaves, affecting the subsequent processing steps. At the same time, beneficial ingredients such as amino acids and sugars are not fully converted, and the production of aroma compounds is insufficient.
[0043] Comparative Example 3
[0044] The only difference between this comparative example and Example 1 is that in this comparative example, in step 2), the reaction time of high-temperature withering is 4 hours, and the rest of the process is the same as in Example 1.
[0045] Table 3 Effect of high temperature withering time on withering effect of white tea
[0046]
[0047]
[0048] From the data in Table 3, it can be concluded that extending the high-temperature withering time will lead to excessive dehydration of white tea leaves, but it will also lead to a reduction in the production of aroma compounds in the final white tea product, darkening the color, and affecting the taste.
[0049] Comparative Example 4
[0050] The only difference between this comparative example and Example 1 is that in this comparative example, in step 1), the reaction temperature of the low-temperature withering is 28° C., and the rest of the process is the same as in Example 1.
[0051] Comparative Example 5
[0052] The only difference between this comparative example and Example 1 is that in this comparative example, in step 2), the temperature of high-temperature withering is 20° C., i.e., step 2). The rest of the process is the same as in Example 1.
[0053] Low temperature withering temperature / ℃ High temperature withering temperature / ℃ Water content% Linalool content% Geraniol content% Example 1 20 28 40 0.83 0.67 Comparative Example 4 28 28 47 0.74 0.51 Comparative Example 5 20 20 44 0.52 0.43
[0054] The speculated reasons are: when the temperature of low-temperature withering rises to 28°C, that is, the temperature of the whole withering process is too high, the surface of the tea leaves will dry too quickly and more moisture will remain inside; at the same time, the higher temperature throughout the process will cause chlorophyll to degrade too quickly, affecting the color of the tea leaves, and some low-boiling point aroma substances, resulting in a decrease in the content of aroma compounds; when the temperature of high-temperature withering drops to 20°C, that is, the temperature of the whole withering process is too low, the evaporation rate of water slows down, resulting in difficulty in completely removing moisture inside and on the surface of the tea leaves, affecting the subsequent processing effect, and at the same time, the temperature angle ratio is related to the degradation of chlorophyll, and other pigments are difficult to show, the appearance quality is reduced, the aroma-related components cannot be fully converted, and the taste is reduced.
[0055] Unless otherwise specified, the raw materials and equipment used in the present invention are commonly used in the art; the methods used in the present invention are conventional methods in the art unless otherwise specified.
[0056] The above-described embodiments merely represent specific implementation methods of the present application. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present application. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the technical concept of the present application, and all such variations and improvements fall within the scope of protection of the present application.
Claims
1. A high-efficiency multi-stage withering process for white tea, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: 1) Spreading fresh white tea leaves flat, adjusting the temperature and humidity, and continuously introducing air evenly from the bottom to perform a low-temperature withering reaction, thereby obtaining the first low-temperature withered white tea leaves; 2) heating the low-temperature withered white tea leaves obtained in step 1), maintaining the humidity, and continuously introducing uniform air from below to perform a high-temperature withering reaction, thereby obtaining the first high-temperature withered white tea leaves; 3) The white tea leaves withered for the first time at high temperature obtained in step 2) are subjected to steps 1) and 2) in a cycle to obtain withered white tea leaves.
2. The efficient multi-stage withering process for white tea according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 1), the temperature for low-temperature withering is 20-25° C., and the humidity is 60-75%.
3. A white tea efficient multi-stage withering process according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: In step 1), the low-temperature withering duration is 4 to 6 hours.
4. The efficient multi-stage withering process for white tea according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 2), the temperature of high temperature withering is 26-35° C. and the humidity is 60-75%.
5. The efficient multi-stage withering process for white tea according to claim 4, characterized in that: In step 2), the high temperature withering time is 2 hours.
6. The efficient multi-stage withering process for white tea according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 3), the cycle is performed 4 to 6 times.
7. The efficient multi-stage withering process for white tea according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flow rate of the air continuously introduced in step 1) and step 2) is 0.1-0.2 m / s.
8. The efficient multi-stage withering process for white tea according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 1), the fresh white tea leaves are spread to a thickness of 4 to 6 cm.
9. The efficient multi-stage withering process for white tea according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 1), the length of the fresh white tea leaves is 2 to 3 cm.
10. The efficient multi-stage withering process for white tea according to claim 9, characterized in that: In step 2), the high temperature withering reaction is exposed to simulated sunlight throughout the entire process.