Diversification of the Tea Products ---- Global Scenario

Abstract

Tea is most consumed drink in the world after water. Tea industry makes a vital contribution to the economy of the producing countries. Tea is a rich source of polyphenols and now-a-days interest in the possible health benefits of polyphenols, particularly flavonoids, has increased owing to their antioxidant and free-radical scavenging abilities. Presently, the world market price of tea has stagnated with supplies being stable and this situation emphasizes the need for exploring alternative means of increasing profits from tea cultivation. Product diversification of tea through value addition seems to be an important approach to mitigate the impacts of low market price and high production costs. In the present article diversified tea products developed in different tea producing countries have been described.