Estimation of theaflavin content in black tea using electronic tongue

Biochemical components like theaflavins (TF) play very important role in the quality of finished CTC (cut, torn, and curled) variety of tea. TF are known to provide characteristic astringency to the taste of finished CTC tea. The quality indicators like brightness, briskness, strength, color and overall quality of tea liquor are also due to the amount of TF present. A positive correlation is normally observed between the amount of TF and the quality scores of finished tea. Biochemical tests that yield the percentage of TF are often time consuming, require meticulous effort of sample preparation, storage and measurement. This paper proposes an alternative approach of quality evaluation of CTC tea by predicting the amount of TF that may be present in a given tea sample, using a voltammetric electronic tongue.

► An alternative approach for quality evaluation of black tea is proposed.
► Theaflavins (TF) play very important role in the quality of black tea.
► Concentration of theaflavins (TF) is measured using a voltammetric electronic tongue.
► Good correlation between electronic tongue and spectrophotometric results is obtained.