Understand tea polyphenols
Tea polyphenols are the main compounds found in tea, and they are the general name of polyphenols, also called tea tannins and tea tannins.
Tea polyphenols is the most important component in tea, with high content, accounting for 18% ~ 36% of the total dry matter of tea, and it is the most soluble substance in tea. Tea polyphenols are the main components that determine the color, aroma, taste and efficacy of tea, which can not only supplement the deficiency of human nutrition, but also promote human health.
There are four categories of tea polyphenols, which are composed of 34 monomers, including catechins, flavonoids and flavonoid glycosides, anthocyanins and anthocyanins, phenolic acids and peptides.
Among all kinds of tea, green tea has the highest content of tea polyphenols, followed by oolong tea and black tea.
Factors affecting tea polyphenols
Tea polyphenols account for 18% ~ 36% of the dry matter of tea raw materials, and their distribution is different in different tea varieties, producing areas, seasons and raw materials.
As far as the varieties of tea are concerned, there are relatively more tea polyphenols in large leaf species and relatively few tea polyphenols in small leaf species. For example, the raw taste of Yunnan big leaf species is stronger and more irritating than that of Shandong Rizhao green tea with small leaves.
As far as the origin is concerned, the tea planted in southern tea-producing areas contains more tea polyphenols than the tea planted in northern tea-producing areas, which is related to the light intensity and temperature of the environment. Generally speaking, the higher the temperature, the stronger the light, and the more tea polyphenols are planted.
As far as altitude is concerned, at an altitude of 500 meters, tea produced at relatively low altitude contains more tea polyphenols than tea produced at high altitude.
In addition to the types of tea, the quality of tea will also affect the content of tea polyphenols. For example, when making tea, the more tender the tea leaves, the higher the content of tea polyphenols.
Benefits of tea polyphenols
As we all know, tea has a very good health care function and is a pure natural healthy drink. In fact, many functions of tea come from tea polyphenols contained in tea.
Tea polyphenols can help to inhibit the proliferation of atherosclerotic plaques, reduce the formation of fibrinogen to enhance coagulation viscosity, and make coagulation clear, thus reducing blood lipids and preventing liver and coronary atherosclerosis.
In addition, we can often hear people say "drinking tea to prevent aging". In fact, this anti-aging function comes from tea polyphenols. Tea polyphenols have strong oxidation resistance and biological activity, and are free radical scavengers in human body. Tea polyphenols have strong antioxidant and physiological activity, and are free radical scavengers in human body, which can inhibit lipoxygenase and lipid peroxidation in skin mitochondria, thus having anti-aging effect.
Tea polyphenols can not only delay aging, but also kill dental caries bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria in teeth, inhibit the activity of glucose polymerase and effectively interrupt the process of dental caries formation.
Tea polyphenols can inhibit and kill all kinds of harmful pathogens that cause diarrhea by improving the comprehensive immune ability of human body.
Drinking tea makes people healthy, largely thanks to the role of tea polyphenols. A healthy life begins with a cup of tea.