Extensive research on the volatile components from tea or fresh tea leaf was carried out by many authors and a large number of components (70-80) were identified.
Aroma of tea is complex mixture of volatiles consisting of alcohols, terpenes, sesquiterpenes, nitrogenous aromatic compounds and oxygenated hydrocarbons present in trace amounts.
The yield of crude essential oils: fresh leaf, 6.8 mg96 of fresh leaf, 30.9 mg% dry basis; black tea, 7.8 mg% of black tea, 8.2 mg96 dry basis.
Both of them had the characteristic odor each other and reminded of their original materials; the volatiles from fresh leaf were greenish, unripe and stimulant odor, however, those from black tea had a sweet aroma.
The essential oil extracted from tea has a very wide range of applications in the fields of food, cosmetics, flavors and fragrances, and the cigarette industry. The extraction of essential oil from abandoned tea can reduce the amount of wasted tea and can bring stupendous economic benefits to tea farmers and the essential oil industry.
Flavor and aroma of black tea: Complex mixture of essential oil
