Tea Leaves for Green Tea Beverage Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Green tea beverages packed in containers face issues such as sedimentation, brownish discoloration, and loss of flavor when stored or consumed cold, requiring tea leaves that can maintain quality and flavor stability during storage and cold consumption.
Innovation Solution
Tea leaves with a specific ratio of theanine content to monosaccharide content relative to caffeine, within the range of −0.136X+0.35≦Y≦−0.136X+0.46, are used, along with a consolidation ratio of 0.85 to 0.95, to enhance extraction efficiency and prevent sedimentation and discoloration, suitable for both container packaging and tea bags.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If tea leaves are stored for a while after production, then convenience of packaged beverage is improved, but oxidation deterioration and generation of deteriorated odor occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by conducting oxidase deactivation treatment on tea leaves before packaging. This preliminary treatment prevents oxidation deterioration during storage by deactivating oxidation enzymes in advance, allowing the beverage to maintain quality throughout the storage period without requiring special preservation conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of tea leaves by controlling the content of theogallin and strictinin within specific ranges (theogallin: 0.01-0.5%, strictinin: 0.01-0.5%). This parameter control prevents the generation of deteriorated odor and maintains beverage quality during storage, resolving the contradiction between storage convenience and quality maintenance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If green tea beverage is consumed in cold state, then modern consumption habit is satisfied, but flavor and taste are degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the chemical composition parameters of tea leaves, specifically controlling the ratio of catechins to non-catechin components and the content of theogallin and strictinin. This parameter optimization ensures that the beverage maintains excellent flavor and taste even when consumed in a cold state, as the chemical composition is specifically tuned to resist cold-induced flavor degradation.
3Reliability
If extraction time is extended to improve tea flavor, then beverage quality is enhanced, but productivity and efficiency are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of tea leaves by controlling particle size (0.5-2.0 mm), moisture content (5-15%), and the ratio of theogallin to strictinin. These parameter optimizations enable rapid extraction of high-quality tea flavor in a short time, significantly improving extraction efficiency while maintaining beverage quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by using a limited amount of tea leaves (0.5-2.0g per cup) with optimized composition that provides sufficient flavor in a short extraction time. This partial approach avoids the need for prolonged extraction, achieving both high beverage quality and high extraction efficiency simultaneously.
4Reliability
If sediments and precipitates are generated during storage, then beverage stability is compromised, but traditional tea processing is maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent controls the chemical parameters of tea leaves by maintaining theogallin content at 0.01-0.5% and strictinin content at 0.01-0.5%, with a specific ratio between these compounds. This parameter control prevents the formation of sediments and precipitates during storage while maintaining compatibility with traditional tea processing methods, achieving beverage stability without sacrificing manufacturing simplicity.
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
These tea leaves ensure effective extraction of a delicious green tea beverage with reduced sedimentation and discoloration, maintaining flavor stability even when stored or consumed cold, making them suitable for industrial production and short-time extraction.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting plucked tea live leaves to steaming with vapor, inactivation (oxidase deactivation) of oxidation enzymes contained in the tea live leaves
Implementation Method 2
a green tea beverage has problems such as weakness to oxidation deterioration... If tea leaves are subjected to oxidase deactivation by direct flame heating, unique flavor of oven roasting can be boosted
Implementation Method 3
tea leaves are set in a bath under reduced pressure and heated by microwave or far-infrared ray under reduced pressure, and dried for a short time, whereby to suppress oxidation of the raw tea
Implementation Method 4
tea leaves are set in a bath under reduced pressure and heated by microwave or far-infrared ray under reduced pressure
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are tea leaves for green tea beverage extraction. A green tea beverage that can be stored without sediments precipitating and without turning brown, and also tastes good chilled, can be extracted from said leaves. Said leaves are characterized in that the relationship between X and Y fulfills condition (1), where X is the weight fraction of theanine content with respect to the total weight of dried tea leaves, and Y is the weight fraction of monosaccharide content with respect to caffeine content.−0.136X+0.35≦Y≦−0.136X+0.46. (1)