It’s no surprise that tea is one of the most popular beverages nowadays.
Whether green or black tea, herbal or fruit, tea consumption is rising because more and more people are becoming aware of its numerous health benefits.
There is also a lot more choice in flavors - there are all kinds of exciting blends to choose from, especially with fruit teas.
Fruit teas are usually a mixture of dried fruit, flowers, or leaves. Sometimes fruit juice concentrates are added for an improved aroma.
Because they are a natural product, it’s important to note that fruit teas have strong antioxidant properties.
These properties are the topic of a recently published study in the journal Applied Sciences that examines the antioxidant activity of 17 types of fruit teas.
What’s Important
Oxidative stress is formed in conditions when the production of free radicals overrides the body’s ability to neutralize them.
The production of free radicals can be brought on by many things, such as environmental factors, dietary habits, certain medications, etc.
Damage caused by oxidative stress could lead to the development of cardiovascular, immunological, neurodegenerative, and metabolic conditions.
The human body has built-in antioxidant systems, but when it’s overwhelmed, extrinsic antioxidants, like those in fruit teas, could be of great help.
In fact, what gives fruit teas their antioxidant activity is the polyphenolic compounds found in fruit.
Given that the quality of tea might vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, for this study, all fruit teas were by the same manufacturer.
Some Details
The goal of the study was to examine and compare the antioxidant activity of 17 different fruit teas.
Under the hypothesis that temperature and brewing time may affect the outcome, they tested the teas brewed at 70 and 100 °C for 3, 5, and 10 min.
The two most important conclusions were the following:
- Brewing time significantly boosts the antioxidant activity, while increased brewing temperature isn’t as influential.
- The best antioxidant properties were in teas made of lemon balm with pear, forest fruits, cranberry with pomegranate, raspberry, and raspberry with linden.
The Takeaway
Fruit teas are a great natural source of antioxidants and his study gives more reasons to be a fan and consume them more often.
Resource: Zieniewska, I.; Zalewska, A.; Żendzian-Piotrowska, M.; Ładny, J.R.; Maciejczyk, M. Antioxidant and Antiglycation Properties of Seventeen Fruit Teas Obtained from One Manufacturer. Appl. Sci. 2020, 10, 5195. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/app10155195
