Optimising fermentation time in black tea manufacture

Abstract

A comparative study using in-line theaflavins analysis (ILTF), theaflavins of made-tea analysis (TFMT) and tasters' evaluations, to optimise fermentation during tea manufacture, was carried out. All methods obeyed a quadratic relationship with time. On average, the optimum fermentation times were 107.7, 135.3, 136.2 and 147.4 min for ILTF, TFMT, taster D and taster E, respectively. Linear relationships between different methods had good correlation coefficients but TFMT and tasters' evaluations related best. In the absence of a taster, TFMT can be used to optimise fermentation time in tea processing.