Tea Leaves for Stable Green Tea Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Green tea beverages packed in containers face challenges with quality stability, sediment generation, and loss of concentration feeling due to caffeine reduction methods that affect flavor balance and extraction efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Tea leaves with caffeine content between 0.2% to 2.5% by mass, adjusted theanine and monosaccharide content relative to fiber, and a consolidation ratio of 0.85 to 0.95 are used to maintain flavor balance and quality stability, ensuring effective extraction and consumption even in cold states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If caffeine is reduced in green tea leaves through conventional methods (decocting or warm water shower), then caffeine content decreases, but flavor balance and concentration feeling deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the parameters of oxidase deactivation (temperature, time, atmosphere) to prevent excessive extraction of catechins and caffeine while still achieving enzyme inactivation. By controlling these parameters, the patent reduces caffeine content while maintaining flavor balance and concentration feeling that would otherwise be lost through conventional decocting or warm water shower methods.
2Ease of operation
If green tea is stored for extended periods in containers, then convenience increases, but quality stability deteriorates due to oxidation deterioration, deteriorated odor, and sediment generation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary oxidase deactivation and quality stabilization treatments on the tea leaves before packing. By pre-inactivating oxidation enzymes and controlling the chemical composition (catechin content, caffeine content, theanine content) before the tea is packed in containers, the patent prevents oxidation deterioration, deteriorated odor, and sediment generation during storage, thereby maintaining quality stability while providing convenience.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If green tea beverage is consumed in cold state, then refreshment increases, but extraction efficiency and flavor quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the tea leaves (specific ratios of catechins, caffeine, and theanine) and controls oxidase deactivation parameters to ensure that the tea maintains good extraction efficiency and flavor quality even when consumed cold. This allows the beverage to provide refreshment while avoiding the deterioration of extraction efficiency and flavor quality that typically occurs with cold consumption.
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 solution provides green tea beverages with enhanced flavor stability, quality stability, and concentration feeling, suitable for industrial production and consumption, while maintaining effective extraction for packed beverages and tea bags.
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
enhance dissolution of components in the tea leaves
Implementation Method 3
effective extraction of delicious green tea
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a tea leaves for extraction of a low-caffeine green tea beverage, which is not susceptible to folding or browning during storage, and which enables the extraction of a green tea beverage which can be enjoyed hot or cold. Specifically provided is a tea leaves for extraction of a green tea beverage having a caffeine content with respect to the total mass of the dried leaves that falls within the range of 0.2 to 2.5 mass %, and the relation between the ratio of the mass content of theanine to the entire mass of dried leaves X (%) and the mass ratio of the content of monosaccharides to the fiber content Y satisfies the following condition: −0.007X+0.024≦Y≦−0.011X+0.039.