A Rapid Procedure for Estimating Theaflavins and Thearubigins of Black Tea

A quick method for estimation of theaflavins and thearubigins facilitates evaluation of large number of tea samples and aids in quality control of black teas.

Abstract

Biochemical assessment of black tea quality is made from estimation of theaflavins (TF) and thearubigins (TR) of tea liquor. The conventional spectrophotometric method of determination is labourious, time consuming and restricts the number of analyses to a minimum. Later modifications of the method simplified the procedure to some extent but overall technique remained unaltered. Further simplification of the method is now described to facilitate analysis of a larger number of tea samples for qualiy evaluation of black teas.