Comparative study of catechin levels from green tea, oolong tea and black tea product with various treatments

Background: Tea is a refreshing drink that contains polyphenol compounds, namely catechins that are used for medicine and cosmetics. This study was to assess the content of catechin compounds in green tea, oolong and black tea products from Indonesia, China and Taiwan. Methods: Some tea products are brewed at varying temperatures (75±2; 85±2 and 95±20 C) and times (5; 10 and 15 minutes). Identification of catechin compounds was carried out using chemical reagents and UV spectrophotometry. The level of cathecin in tea products were analyzed by spectrophotometer at 280 nm wavelength. Results: The results obtained indicate that green tea, oolong tea and black tea contain epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) compounds according to the color change based on chemical reagents and for UV spectrum analysis which has λmax in the range 268-274 nm. The results of quantitative tests using UV-Vis spectrophotometry showed that the green tea samples gave the highest levels of catechins followed by oolong tea and black tea with brewing temperature at 95±20 °C. Conclusion: The catechin content of tea obtained from various products varies according to the type of processing method and the brewing temperature. Therefore, this study is expected to provide information related to catechin content to the public and researchers.