Leaf Tea Catechin Delivery via Juice Expression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional green tea preparation methods are inconvenient and often require multiple beverages to achieve the desired intake of catechins, which are beneficial for health, due to the slow infusion rate of tea leaves and powders.
Innovation Solution
A process involving expressing juice from fresh tea leaves to produce leaf residue, followed by enzyme deactivation and drying to create a high-efficiency catechin delivery green leaf tea, allowing for efficient catechin and caffeine infusion in a single serving.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional tea leaves are used for beverage preparation, then the tea can be made from whole leaves, but the infusion rate is slow and requires multiple beverages to achieve desired catechin intake
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the juice from tea leaves using a screw press, separating the liquid catechin-rich juice from the solid leaf residue. This extraction process concentrates the catechins in the remaining leaf material, enabling faster and more efficient infusion compared to conventional whole leaves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and concentration parameters of the tea material by pressing out the juice, thereby concentrating the catechins in the leaf residue. This parameter change transforms the infusion dynamics, allowing for rapid catechin delivery in a single serving.
2Productivity
If juice is expressed from tea leaves to concentrate catechins, then catechin delivery efficiency increases, but the total catechin content in leaves decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers and utilizes the expressed juice as a valuable by-product. The juice, which contains a high concentration of catechins, is collected and can be used in various applications such as functional beverages, supplements, or further processing, thereby recovering the catechin content that would otherwise be lost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the tea leaf into two distinct components: the solid residue containing concentrated catechins and the liquid juice also rich in catechins. This segmentation allows both parts to be independently processed and utilized, maximizing the overall catechin recovery and delivery efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If tea leaves are processed to improve infusion rate, then convenience increases, but the complexity of the manufacturing process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the juice extraction and leaf residue preparation as a preliminary action during the manufacturing process. By pre-processing the tea leaves to remove juice and concentrate catechins before the consumer uses the product, the complexity of the manufacturing process is contained within industrial-scale equipment, while the consumer benefits from simplified, faster preparation at home.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process increases the efficiency of catechin delivery, enabling a higher concentration of catechins and caffeine in a single serving, making it more convenient to meet daily health benefits with fewer preparations.
Implementation Method 1
a) expressing juice from fresh tea leaves thereby to produce leaf residue and tea juice
Implementation Method 2
c) drying the leaf residue to produce leaf tea
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a process comprising the steps of : expressing juice from fresh tea leaves thereby to produce leaf residue and tea juice wherein the amount of expressed juice is greater than 300 ml per kg of fresh tea leaves; subjecting the fresh tea leaves and/or the leaf residue to an enzyme deactivation treatment thereby to prevent fermentation of the leaf residue; and drying the leaf residue to produce leaf tea. Also disclosed is a leaf tea obtained by the process.