Producing theaflavin
AssigneeLipton, division of Conopco, Inc.
InventorsChristopher William Goodsall, Andrew David Parry, Richard Safford, Ambalavanar Thiru
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Abstract
Theaflavin is produced by separating theaflavin from a slurry fermentation product of green leaf tea that has been treated with tannase prior to slurry fermentation. Methods for making theaflavin-rich extracts and cold water soluble tea powders and products are provided.
Claims11
A method for making a theaflavin-rich cold water soluble tea product comprising the steps of treating a slurry of green leaf tea with tannase, fermenting said slurry, deleafing said slurry to give a theaflavin-rich tea liquor and spent dhool, drying said tea liquor to yield a liquor-derived theaflavin-rich cold water soluble tea powder, performing one or more solvent extractions of said spent dhool, drying said extract or extractions to form a dhool-derived theaflavin-rich powder or powders, and mixing said liquor-derived theaflavin-rich cold water soluble tea powder with said dhool-derived theaflavin-rich powder or powders to yield the theaflavin-rich cold water soluble tea product.
A method for purifying theaflavin comprising the steps of treating a slurry of green leaf tea with tannase, fermenting said slurry, deleafing said slurry to give a theaflavin-rich tea liquor and spent dhool, drying said tea liquor to yield a liquor-derived theaflavin-rich cold water soluble tea powder, performing one or more solvent extractions of said spent dhool, drying said extract or extractions to form a dhool-derived theaflavin-rich powder or powders, mixing said liquor-derived theaflavin-rich cold water soluble tea powder with said dhool-derived theaflavin-rich powder or powders to give a theaflavin-rich cold water soluble tea product, resuspending said tea product in water, extracting said resuspended product with an organic solvent, and passing said extracted product through a chromatographic column that elutes theaflavin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.