Raw pu-erh tea extract has superior antioxidant capacity due to higher polyphenol content, but ripe pu-erh offers a cheaper, yet effective alternative for antioxidant or antimicrobial properties.
The investigation first utilised mass spectrometry and UV spectroscopy to profile and quantify the primary components of two types of fermented Chinese green tea - raw and ripe pu-erh. This took place after a procedure known as chromatographic separation, used to separate the components of the extract. Beyond this, the activities of the extracts, relating to antioxidant potential, antimicrobial capability and enzyme inhibition, were established and linked to their main components.
In discussing the results, though having similar caffeine content and equivalent enzyme inhibition and antimicrobial activities, raw pu-erh extract demonstrated a stronger antioxidant ability owing to it containing a higher concentration of polyphenols. However, the benefits of raw pu-erh tea do not provide enough justification for its higher production costs in comparison to the ripe variety. The ripe variety of pu-erh tea was shown to be a cost-effective alternative for creating products with antioxidant or antimicrobial characteristics.
