Determination of inorganic anions in herbal tea infusions using ion chromatography

Abstract

The ionic content was examined in nine aqueous tea extracts in which time of boiling, acidification of the medium using lemon juice and way of preparation were observed as factors. Ion chromatography was used for determination of inorganic anion content, and data were processed using CANOCO program for multivariate analysis. The variations in ionic content were observed among different tea samples. The highest concentrations of chloride, nitrate, phosphate, and sulphate ions were found in nettle, while the highest concentrations of fluorides were detected in elderflower tea infusion. The effect of boiling time (5, 10, and 20 min), acidification of the medium and different preparation procedure (boiling and cooling at room temperature) were statistically presented using principal component analysis. The examined factors did not have a significant effect on the ionic concentration in tea infusions. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 176018 and Grant No. 172001]

Keywords

• herbal tea
• inorganic anions
• ion chromatography
• principal component analysis
• tea infusion