Tea Juice Expression Process for Leaf Residue Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tea products made from tea juice have not achieved commercial success due to high wastage of tea material and limited consumer acceptance of powdered insoluble tea leaves, which are unable to retain the value of traditional leaf tea or tea extracts.
Innovation Solution
A process that carefully controls the expression of tea juice from fresh tea leaves to produce leaf tea and tea extracts, where the amount of expressed juice is between 10 and 300 ml per kg, allowing for the processing of leaf residue into high-quality tea products with a lower level of infusible solids that infuse more slowly, enabling efficient extraction and production of tea concentrates and powders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If tea juice is expressed from fresh tea leaves to produce tea products, then the production of tea extracts and concentrates is enabled, but high wastage of tea material occurs due to loss of tea material in the pressed leaf
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers and utilizes the pressed leaf residue that would otherwise be wasted. The residue is dried to constant weight and used as a raw material for producing tea extracts and concentrates, thereby converting waste into valuable product and reducing tea material wastage while maintaining productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the pressed leaf residue through controlled drying processes. By adjusting drying conditions and monitoring weight loss, the residue is transformed into a stable, usable form for extract production, optimizing both material utilization and product quality
2Ease of manufacture
If pressed tea leaves are processed into fine powder and recombined with powdered tea juice, then some tea products can be manufactured, but consumer acceptance is limited due to the presence of insoluble tea leaf
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the insoluble tea leaf components from the final product. By separating the soluble tea extract from the insoluble leaf residue and using only the extracted portion for beverage formulation, the product achieves ease of manufacture while gaining consumer acceptance through complete solubility and lack of unpleasant mouthfeel
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary extraction process that selectively transfers desirable tea compounds from the pressed leaf to a soluble extract form. This intermediary step allows the manufacturing of tea products without incorporating the insoluble leaf material, bridging the gap between ease of manufacture and consumer acceptance
3Quantity of substance
If traditional leaf tea is used, then high levels of bioactive compounds are retained, but the preparation process is time-consuming and less convenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary extraction of bioactive compounds from the tea leaf during the manufacturing process. By pre-extracting and concentrating the active constituents into a ready-to-use powder or liquid form, the final preparation time is dramatically reduced while maintaining high levels of bioactive compounds compared to traditional steeping methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions in the extraction process, transitioning from solid tea leaf to liquid extract and then to concentrated powder or beverage form. This multi-phase approach efficiently transfers bioactive compounds while enabling rapid preparation by simply adding water, eliminating the need for prolonged steeping
4Ease of operation
If tea leaves are subjected to extensive processing to remove insoluble components, then consumer acceptance improves, but the value of traditional leaf tea is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes through controlled extraction conditions, selecting specific solvents, temperatures, and contact times that maximize the transfer of valuable tea compounds while minimizing loss. By optimizing these parameters, the process achieves consumer acceptance through complete solubility while preserving the nutritional and bioactive value of the original tea leaf
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 results in leaf tea with a polyphenol content of at least 10% by dry weight, offering improved infusion performance and convenience, as well as the production of tea extracts comparable to conventional methods but with shorter extraction times and milder conditions, reducing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
a process comprising extracting tea solids from tea leaves with water
Implementation Method 2
drying the resulting extract
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 between 10 and 300 ml per kg of the fresh tea leaves; and processing the leaf residue to produce leaf tea and/or a tea extract.