Characteristics Evaluation of Commercial Fruit Tea Extracts in Korea

Purpose: We evaluated the physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of 21 types of fruit tea extract that are consumed in Korea. The data were analyzed and curated for the development of processed products using tea in the future.Methods: After extraction using hot water at 70℃, we analyzed the physicochemical properties including color and pH, as well as the antioxidant activity (total flavonoid content, DPPH scavenging activity, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity).Results: Calamansi tea exhibited the lowest brightness with a beet-red appearance, and a yellowness that was significantly higher in jujube and radish. The pH ranged from 3.04 to 7.18 and most samples were in an acidic state. Of these, the pH of schizandra fruit tea was the lowest at 3.04±0.01. The total flavonoid content was the highest in calamansi at 217.87±1.45 QE/g, whereas that of cacao nibs was the lowest at 29.04±0.70 QE/g. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of Chinese quince was the highest at 59.96%±0.22%.Conclusion: We obtained basic data for several fruit tea extracts by analyzing the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities. We anticipate that these results will represent useful data for blending fruits for tea product development.