High consumer awareness of the benefits of green tea and a growing market for functional green tea products means health claim substantiation is not essential, says a German green tea extract supplier.
Addition of green and black teas to yoghurt may boost the colour and flavour of the product, without affecting the starter cultures, says a French-Tunisian study.
Italian botanical extracts leader Indena has been rewarded for more
than 20 years of research in the area by winning Frost &
Sullivan's 2008 European Green Tea Extracts Excellence in Research
Award.
Supplements of the green tea compound EGCG may offset the signs of
physical and mental fatigue associated with modern stressful lives,
suggests research from Japan.
A green tea extract has been launched by Danisco as a food
ingredient, reinforcing the perceived benefits of the antioxidant
and its "consumer friendly" appeal.
Components in green tea may help prevent the production
of inflammatory molecules associated with joint damage in people
with rheumatoid arthritis, scientists have reported.
Regular consumption of the antioxidant rich green tea could reduce
blood lipid levels and cut the risk of developing heart disease,
suggests a small trial from Portugal.
Scientists in the US are looking into the potential of green tea
polyphenols to stop the Maillard reaction in thermally processed
dairy to prevent dark colours and off-flavours.
Drinking several cups of green tea every day could cut peoples'
risk of death from a range of diseases, but does not appear to
lower the chances of getting cancer, says a Japanese study.
Drinking at least one cup of tea a day could cut the risk of cancer
in the gallbladder and bile ducts by about 40 per cent, suggests a
population-based study from China.
The evidence that green tea could benefit heart health are
"supportive" but not "conclusive", said the FDA, leaving the door
open to backing such health claims in the future.
People who drink lots of green tea or coffee every day could lower
their risk of diabetes by 33 percent, a result linked to caffeine
content, says new research from Japan.
Both green and black tea could protect against age-related diseases
like Alzheimer's, says a new study, adding yet more support to the
benefits of tea extract on brain health.
Scientists investigating the effects of green tea antioxidant EGCG
on mice's brains believe their positive results may signal its use
as a preventative or treatment of Alzheimer's disease in humans.
Scientists have developed a new technology to process instant tea.
The invention is said to cut processing time by 15 hours, making it
considerably less labour intensive and reducing costs.
At 3.15 million tonnes world tea production in 2003 beat 2002
supplies but prices remained firm reflecting season variability,
reports the UN food and farm body, adding that China has pushed up
green tea supplies.
Japanese functional food ingredients firm Taiyo Kagaku is set to
increase its share of global green tea sales with the recent
acquisition of Chinese green tea extract manufacturer Wuxi Green
Power Bio-Product.
Plant extract suppliers are developing new technologies to
sterilise herbs to help customers avoid increasing scrutiny of
solvent use and meet higher demands for product quality.
