Microwave and traditional brewing methods of Iranian black tea: bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity and heavy metals

Abstract

Black tea, which is obtained from the leaves of small tree Camellia sinensis, is a popular drink that has been consumed for centuries all around the world. In this study, a sample of Iranian black tea was brewed by two methods of microwave and traditional brewing and their extracts were then assessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assays to determine their phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as heavy metal (HM) (copper, nickel, chromium, cadmium and lead) content. It was observed that there is a direct relationship between the antioxidant activity with their phenolic and flavonoid contents. The highest and lowest antioxidant activities were observed for samples brewed by microwave at 360 W for 2.5 min and 900 W for 7.5 min, respectively. As the brewing power and time increased, the antioxidant activity decreased. Brewing tea by microwave and traditional methods caused a significant reduction in the amount of heavy metals, which was lower than the allowable limit according to the Iranian national standards. These results demonstrate the importance of exposure time and radiation power when tea is prepared by microwave.

Keywords

• black tea
• tea extract
• brewing
• antioxidant
• heavy metals