A mulberry leaf honeysuckle leaf health tea and a preparation method thereof
The preparation method of mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea, which combines microwave blanching and three-stage drying processes with a scientifically formulated ratio, solves the problems of unstable product quality, serious loss of active ingredients, and poor taste in traditional processing methods, and achieves the effect of efficiently preserving active ingredients and improving taste.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202610570958.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-21
AI Technical Summary
Traditional processing methods for mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves are crude, resulting in unstable product quality, significant loss of active ingredients, poor taste, and low consumer acceptance.
Mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea is prepared by using microwave blanching and a three-stage drying and aroma-enhancing process, combined with a scientific ratio of raw materials and flavoring ingredients.
It effectively retains active ingredients, improves taste, enhances product quality, and has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, clearing the liver and improving eyesight, making it highly acceptable to consumers.
Smart Images
Figure CN122423595A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of beverage processing technology, specifically to a health-preserving tea made from mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves, and its preparation method. Background Technology
[0002] With increasing health awareness, the market for substitute teas is expanding. Substitute teas refer to beverages made from the leaves, flowers, and fruits of non-tea plants using processing techniques similar to tea leaves. They possess unique nutritional value and health benefits. Mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves are traditional medicinal and edible plants with a long history of consumption in folk medicine.
[0003] Mulberry leaves are the tender leaves of the mulberry tree (Morus alba), a plant in the Moraceae family. They are cold in nature and have a bitter-sweet taste, possessing properties that dispel wind and heat, clear the liver and improve eyesight, cool the blood and stop bleeding. Modern research indicates that mulberry leaves are rich in alkaloids, flavonoids, polysaccharides, amino acids, vitamins, and other active ingredients, exhibiting pharmacological effects such as lowering blood sugar, lowering blood pressure, anti-oxidation, and anti-inflammation. They are especially suitable for people with diabetes and hypertension.
[0004] Honeysuckle leaves are the tender leaves of the honeysuckle plant (Lonicera japonica), belonging to the Caprifoliaceae family. They are cold in nature and sweet in taste, possessing properties similar to those of honeysuckle flowers, including clearing heat and detoxifying, and dispersing wind-heat. Modern research indicates that honeysuckle leaves are rich in chlorogenic acid, flavonoids, volatile oils, and other active ingredients, exhibiting antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic pharmacological effects. They provide good relief for wind-heat colds and sore throats.
[0005] Combining mulberry leaves with honeysuckle leaves creates a synergistic effect, as both have similar properties and flavors. Together, they clear heat and detoxify, clear the liver and improve eyesight, and dispel wind-heat. This combination is especially suitable for daily consumption by people suffering from wind-heat colds, red and swollen eyes, sore throats, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other conditions.
[0006] However, traditional processing methods for mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves mostly involve simple sun-drying or oven-drying, which have the following shortcomings: First, the process is crude, resulting in unstable product quality; second, the withering process is incomplete, leaving the tea with a grassy smell and poor taste; third, active ingredients are severely lost, reducing health benefits; and fourth, the taste is monotonous when consumed alone, leading to low consumer acceptance. Therefore, developing an industrialized preparation method that can effectively preserve active ingredients and improve taste and flavor is of significant practical importance. Summary of the Invention
[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a health-preserving tea made from mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves, and a method for preparing the same, in order to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.
[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea, which is prepared by microwave fixation and three-stage drying and aroma enhancement process using mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves as raw materials. The raw materials include, by weight, 60-80 parts of mulberry leaves and 20-40 parts of honeysuckle leaves.
[0009] This invention also provides a method for preparing mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea, comprising the following steps:
[0010] S1. Raw material harvesting: Select tender mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves that are free from pests, diseases, and mold.
[0011] S2. Cleaning and spreading: Rinse with clean water and drain, then spread in a cool and ventilated place for 2-4 hours;
[0012] S3. Microwave blanching: Treat with 3-5kW microwave power for 1-3 minutes until the leaf moisture content drops to 60%-65%;
[0013] S4. Kneading: Gently press and knead slowly for 10-20 minutes until the leaves form strips and leaf juice oozes out;
[0014] S5, Three-stage drying and aroma enhancement: The leaves are first dried at 80-90℃ for 15-25 minutes, then dried again at 60-70℃ for 20-30 minutes, and finally dried at 100-110℃ for 5-10 minutes to enhance aroma. The final leaf moisture content is controlled at 5%-8%.
[0015] S6. Mixing and Packaging: After being mixed evenly according to the ratio, the finished product is obtained by sterilization and packaging.
[0016] Preferably, in step S1, the standard for picking mulberry leaves is one bud and two leaves or one bud and three leaves, and the picking time is in April in spring or September in autumn; the standard for picking honeysuckle leaves is fresh tender leaves of the current year.
[0017] Preferably, in step S2, the thickness of the leaves piled up during the spreading process is 2-3 cm, and the leaves are spread until they are soft and the surface gloss is significantly enhanced before proceeding to the next process.
[0018] Preferably, the preferred parameters for microwave blanching in step S3 are a power of 4kW and a processing time of 2 minutes. After blanching, the grassy smell of the raw material completely disappears, which can maximize the retention of heat-sensitive active ingredients such as mulberry leaf alkaloids and honeysuckle leaf chlorogenic acid.
[0019] Preferably, the kneading time in step S4 is 15 minutes. After kneading, the leaf strip formation rate is ≥80%, and the leaf juice overflows evenly without dripping, which can improve the leaching rate of the contents during brewing.
[0020] Preferably, in the three-stage drying process of step S5, the moisture content of the leaves is reduced to 30%-35% after the initial drying and to 10%-15% after the re-drying, so that the natural aroma of the raw material is fully stimulated after aroma enhancement.
[0021] Preferably, the preferred weight ratio of the blend in step S6 is 70 parts mulberry leaves and 30 parts honeysuckle leaves. This ratio balances the sweet and bitter taste of the product, and synergistically enhances its effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, clearing the liver and improving eyesight.
[0022] Preferably, in step S6, 1-5 parts of dried licorice and 1-3 parts of dried mint can be added as flavoring ingredients to further enrich the product flavor and alleviate the slightly bitter taste.
[0023] Preferably, the sterilization method in step S6 is microwave sterilization, and the packaging is nitrogen-filled packaging or vacuum packaging.
[0024] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:
[0025] 1. Highly efficient blanching: Microwave blanching technology is used, which heats evenly, rises rapidly, and blanches thoroughly. It can effectively destroy the activity of polyphenol oxidase and prevent enzymatic browning. At the same time, it retains the alkaloids, flavonoids and other heat-sensitive active ingredients in mulberry leaves and chlorogenic acid in honeysuckle leaves to the maximum extent, with a high retention rate of active ingredients.
[0026] 2. Segmented Drying: A three-stage drying process is adopted, consisting of initial drying, secondary drying, and aroma enhancement. The initial drying uses high temperature to quickly remove moisture, the secondary drying uses medium temperature for slow drying, and the aroma enhancement process uses high temperature to stimulate the aroma. This three-stage drying process ensures that the tea leaves are dried evenly inside and out, resulting in tightly rolled leaves, a natural color, a delicate aroma, and a mellow taste.
[0027] 3. Scientific Blending: Mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves are blended in a 7:3 ratio, achieving a balance between the sweetness of mulberry leaves and the mild bitterness of honeysuckle leaves, resulting in a harmonious taste and synergistic effects. Mulberry leaves are rich in alkaloids, while honeysuckle leaves are rich in chlorogenic acid; the combination of the two enhances their effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, clearing the liver, and improving eyesight.
[0028] 4. Excellent quality: The product has tightly rolled leaves, natural color, bright yellow-green liquor, elegant and lasting aroma, sweet and refreshing taste, no grassy smell, no bitter taste, and high consumer acceptance.
[0029] 5. Significant effects: Mulberry leaves clear heat and detoxify, clear the liver and improve eyesight, while honeysuckle leaves clear heat and detoxify, and disperse wind-heat. When used together, they have good health benefits for wind-heat colds, red and swollen eyes, sore throat, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
[0030] 6. Convenient to drink: The product is in beverage form. Simply take an appropriate amount and brew it with boiling water to meet the needs of modern convenient living. Attached Figure Description
[0031] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating one method of preparing mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea and its preparation method provided by the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0032] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0033] Please see Figure 1 As shown, a mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea is prepared by using mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves as raw materials, through microwave fixation and three-stage drying and aroma enhancement process. The raw materials include 60-80 parts mulberry leaves and 20-40 parts honeysuckle leaves by weight.
[0034] This invention also provides a method for preparing mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea, comprising the following steps:
[0035] S1. Raw material harvesting: Select tender mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves that are free from pests, diseases, and mold.
[0036] S2. Cleaning and spreading: Rinse with clean water and drain, then spread in a cool and ventilated place for 2-4 hours;
[0037] S3. Microwave blanching: Treat with 3-5kW microwave power for 1-3 minutes until the leaf moisture content drops to 60%-65%;
[0038] S4. Kneading: Gently press and knead slowly for 10-20 minutes until the leaves form strips and leaf juice oozes out;
[0039] S5, Three-stage drying and aroma enhancement: The leaves are first dried at 80-90℃ for 15-25 minutes, then dried again at 60-70℃ for 20-30 minutes, and finally dried at 100-110℃ for 5-10 minutes to enhance aroma. The final leaf moisture content is controlled at 5%-8%.
[0040] S6. Mixing and Packaging: After being mixed evenly according to the ratio, the finished product is obtained by sterilization and packaging.
[0041] In step S1, the standard for picking mulberry leaves is one bud and two or three leaves, and the picking time is April in spring or September in autumn. The standard for picking honeysuckle leaves is fresh, tender leaves of the current year. In step S2, when spreading the leaves, the thickness of the pile should be 2-3 cm. Spread the leaves until they are soft and the surface gloss is significantly enhanced before proceeding to the next process. In step S3, the preferred parameters for microwave blanching are 4kW power and 2 minutes processing time. After blanching, the grassy smell of the raw material completely disappears, which can maximize the retention of heat-sensitive active ingredients such as alkaloids in mulberry leaves and chlorogenic acid in honeysuckle leaves. In step S4, the preferred rolling time is 15 minutes. After rolling, the leaf strip rate is ≥80%, and the leaf juice overflows evenly without dripping, which can improve the yield. During soaking, the leaching rate of the contained substances is as follows: In the three-stage drying process of step S5, the moisture content of the leaves is reduced to 30%-35% after the initial drying and to 10%-15% after the re-drying. After aroma enhancement, the natural aroma of the raw materials is fully stimulated. The preferred weight ratio for blending in step S6 is 70 parts mulberry leaves and 30 parts honeysuckle leaves. Under this ratio, the product has a balanced sweet and bitter taste, and the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, clearing the liver and improving eyesight are synergistic. In step S6, 1-5 parts dried licorice and 1-3 parts dried mint can be added as flavoring ingredients to further enrich the flavor of the product and alleviate the slightly bitter taste. The sterilization method in step S6 is microwave sterilization, and the packaging adopts nitrogen-filled packaging or vacuum packaging.
[0042] Example 1
[0043] 1. Raw material harvesting: In April, harvest tender mulberry leaves, with the standard being one bud and two leaves; harvest tender honeysuckle leaves, with the standard being tender leaves. The leaves must be intact, free from pests and diseases, and free from mold.
[0044] 2. Washing and spreading: Rinse the picked mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves separately with clean water to remove impurities and drain the water. Spread them on a bamboo sieve with a thickness of 2.5cm and spread them in a cool and ventilated place for 3 hours until the leaves are soft and glossy.
[0045] 3. Blanching: Blanch the mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves separately after spreading them out. The blanching method is microwave blanching, with a microwave power of 4kW and a blanching time of 2 minutes, until the moisture content of the leaves drops to 62%, the leaf color turns dark green, and the grassy smell disappears.
[0046] 4. Kneading: Knead the blanched mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves separately using a light and slow kneading method for 15 minutes, until the leaves are rolled into strips and the juice is released.
[0047] 5. Initial drying: The kneaded mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves are initially dried at 85°C for 20 minutes, until the moisture content of the leaves drops to 32%.
[0048] 6. Re-drying: The mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves that have been initially dried are re-dried at a temperature of 65°C for 25 minutes, until the moisture content of the leaves drops to 12%.
[0049] 7. Fragrance Enhancement: The re-dried mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves are treated separately for fragrance enhancement at 105°C for 8 minutes until the leaf moisture content drops to 6% and the aroma is fully activated.
[0050] 8. Blending: Weigh out 70 parts of mulberry leaves (after aroma enhancement) and 30 parts of honeysuckle leaves by weight, mix them evenly, and obtain the raw materials for health tea.
[0051] 9. Packaging: The blended health drink ingredients are microwave-sterilized and packaged in nitrogen-filled bags of 50g each to obtain the finished product.
[0052] Example 2
[0053] 1. Raw material harvesting: In September of autumn, pick tender mulberry leaves, with the standard being one bud and three leaves; pick tender honeysuckle leaves, with the standard being tender leaves. The leaves must be intact, free from pests and diseases, and free from mold.
[0054] 2. Washing and spreading: Rinse the picked mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves separately with clean water to remove impurities. After draining the water, spread them on a bamboo sieve to a thickness of 3cm. Spread them in a cool and ventilated place for 4 hours until the leaves are soft and glossy.
[0055] 3. Blanching: Blanch the withered mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves separately using microwave blanching at 3.5kW for 2.5 minutes, until the leaf moisture content drops to 65%, the leaf color turns dark green, and the grassy smell disappears. 4. Rolling: Roll the blanched mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves separately using a gentle, slow rolling method for 18 minutes, until the leaves form strips and leaf juice oozes out.
[0056] 5. Initial drying: The kneaded mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves are initially dried at 88°C for 18 minutes until the moisture content of the leaves drops to 30%.
[0057] 6. Re-drying: The mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves that have been initially dried are re-dried at a temperature of 68°C for 22 minutes, until the moisture content of the leaves drops to 10%.
[0058] 7. Aroma Enhancement: The re-dried mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves are separately treated with aroma enhancement at 108°C for 6 minutes, until the leaf moisture content drops to 5% and the aroma is fully released. 8. Blending: Weigh out 75 parts by weight of the aroma-enhanced mulberry leaves and 25 parts by weight of the honeysuckle leaves, mix thoroughly, and obtain the raw materials for the health beverage.
[0059] 9. Packaging: The blended health drink ingredients are microwave-sterilized and vacuum-packed in 50g bags to obtain the finished product.
[0060] Sensory evaluation and preliminary efficacy observation were conducted on the health drink prepared in Example 1.
[0061] Sensory evaluation: Place 3g of sample in a teacup, add 200ml of boiling water, and steep for 3 minutes. The tea liquor is yellowish-green, bright and clear; the aroma is elegant and lasting, with the unique fragrance of mulberry leaves and a faint floral scent of honeysuckle leaves; the taste is mellow and refreshing, slightly bitter at first but with a sweet aftertaste, without any grassy or astringent notes; the tea leaves are intact and naturally colored. Overall, the quality is excellent and the product is widely acceptable.
[0062] Active ingredient determination: The chlorogenic acid and total flavonoid content of the health drink prepared in Example 1 were determined. Compared with fresh mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves, the chlorogenic acid retention rate reached 92% and the total flavonoid retention rate reached 89%, indicating that the microwave blanching and segmented drying process effectively protected the active ingredients.
[0063] Efficacy observation: Ten volunteers who reported initial symptoms of wind-heat cold and sore throat were selected and drank this health-preserving beverage, 3g each time, 3 times a day, for 3 consecutive days. The results showed that 9 volunteers (90%) reported significant relief of sore throat symptoms; 8 volunteers (80%) reported improvement in symptoms such as fever and headache; and 7 volunteers (70%) reported a shortened cold duration and faster recovery.
[0064] Ten individuals who experienced red, swollen, painful, dry, and itchy eyes due to excessive eye strain were selected and given this health-promoting beverage, 3g twice daily, for two consecutive weeks. Results showed that 9 volunteers (90%) experienced significant relief from red, swollen, and painful eyes; 8 volunteers (80%) reported improvement in dry and itchy eyes; and 7 volunteers (70%) reported reduced eye fatigue after prolonged screen time.
[0065] Ten volunteers with hypertension (systolic blood pressure 140-160 mmHg) were selected and given this health-preserving tea, 3g twice daily, for one month. The results showed that 7 volunteers (70%) experienced a decrease in systolic blood pressure of 5-10 mmHg; and 6 volunteers (60%) experienced a decrease in diastolic blood pressure of 3-5 mmHg.
[0066] The above results indicate that the product of this invention, while ensuring good sensory quality, also retains its health benefits of clearing heat and detoxifying, clearing the liver and improving eyesight, making it particularly suitable for people with wind-heat colds, red and swollen eyes, and high blood pressure.
[0067] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.
[0068] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A health-preserving tea made from mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves, characterized in that... It is prepared by microwave blanching and three-stage drying and aroma enhancement process using mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves as raw materials. The raw materials include 60-80 parts mulberry leaves and 20-40 parts honeysuckle leaves by weight.
2. A method for preparing a health-preserving tea made from mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1. Raw material harvesting: Select tender mulberry leaves and honeysuckle leaves that are free from pests, diseases, and mold. S2. Cleaning and spreading: Rinse with clean water and drain, then spread in a cool and ventilated place for 2-4 hours; S3. Microwave blanching: Treat with 3-5kW microwave power for 1-3 minutes until the leaf moisture content drops to 60%-65%; S4. Kneading: Gently press and knead slowly for 10-20 minutes until the leaves form strips and leaf juice oozes out; S5, Three-stage drying and aroma enhancement: The leaves are first dried at 80-90℃ for 15-25 minutes, then dried again at 60-70℃ for 20-30 minutes, and finally dried at 100-110℃ for 5-10 minutes to enhance aroma. The final leaf moisture content is controlled at 5%-8%. S6. Mixing and Packaging: After being mixed evenly according to the ratio, the finished product is obtained by sterilization and packaging.
3. The method for preparing a mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea according to claim 2, characterized in that: In step S1, the standard for picking mulberry leaves is one bud and two leaves or one bud and three leaves, and the picking time is April in spring or September in autumn; the standard for picking honeysuckle leaves is fresh tender leaves of the current year.
4. The method for preparing a mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea according to claim 2, characterized in that: In step S2, the leaves are piled up to a thickness of 2-3cm during the spreading process. Once the leaves are soft and the surface gloss is significantly enhanced, the next process can begin.
5. The method for preparing a mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea according to claim 2, characterized in that: The preferred parameters for microwave blanching in step S3 are a power of 4kW and a processing time of 2 minutes. After blanching, the grassy smell of the raw material completely disappears, which can maximize the retention of heat-sensitive active ingredients such as mulberry leaf alkaloids and honeysuckle leaf chlorogenic acid.
6. The method for preparing a mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea according to claim 2, characterized in that: The preferred kneading time in step S4 is 15 minutes. After kneading, the leaf strip formation rate is ≥80%, and the leaf juice overflows evenly without dripping, which can improve the leaching rate of the contents during brewing.
7. The method for preparing a mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the three-stage drying process of step S5, the moisture content of the leaves is reduced to 30%-35% after the initial drying and to 10%-15% after the re-drying, and the natural aroma of the raw materials is fully stimulated after aroma enhancement.
8. The method for preparing a mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea according to claim 2, characterized in that: The preferred weight ratio for blending in step S6 is 70 parts mulberry leaves and 30 parts honeysuckle leaves. This ratio balances the sweet and bitter taste of the product, and synergistically enhances its effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, clearing the liver and improving eyesight.
9. The method for preparing a mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea according to claim 2, characterized in that: In step S6, 1-5 parts of dried licorice and 1-3 parts of dried mint can be added as flavoring ingredients to further enrich the product flavor and alleviate the slightly bitter taste.
10. The method for preparing a mulberry leaf and honeysuckle leaf health tea according to claim 2, characterized in that: In step S6, the sterilization method is microwave sterilization, and the packaging is nitrogen-filled packaging or vacuum packaging.