Abstract

ALVAREZ, Jason et al. Evaluation of the authenticity of different commercial Green tea brands sold at San José, Costa Rica. Rev. cienc. tecnol. [online]. 2015, n.23, pp.31-35. ISSN 1851-7587.

Recently, green tea consumption has significantly increased worldwide, and Costa Rica is not an exception. Several health benefits have been attributed to it, nevertheless they depend on the legitimacy and purity of the product. The aim of this work was to corroborate the authenticity and quality of 45 green tea commercial samples sold at the metropolitan area of San José, Costa Rica. Extracts of the different commercial brands tested and of leaves (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) were prepared using ethanol. These were dissolved in methanol to a final concentration of 1mgml-1 of extract. The solutions were used for the determination of the polyphenols, flavonoids, amino acids and alkaloids profiles using high performance thin layer chromatography and their respective derivatizations. The results obtained allow the conclusion that the green tea sold in San José, Costa Rica, is genuine and does not present any adulterations in its composition. Also, the flavonoids, alkaloids and amino acids profiles allow ensuring the consistency of the lots, as well as the transfer of the principal constituents from raw material to finished product, demonstrating its good quality.

Keywords : Green tea; Authenticity; Thin layer chromatography (TLC).

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