The production of a local tea from Cecropia peltata
1989
Maharaj, D.I.
A tea was made from Cecropia peltata (Bois Cano). It was produced by selecting the dried, fallen leaves of the tree, washing them in water at 18 deg.C, 22 deg.C or 27 deg.C and drying at 32 deg.C, 36 deg.C or 40 deg.C. The tea leaves were subjected to storage times of 0, 1, 2, and 3 months. Resulting teas were evaluated for their organoleptic properties and compared against teas already produced for the commercial market. Most favourable teas were produced at washing/drying temperatures of 18/32 deg.C. A storage period of 3 months produced the most acceptable colour while a Storage period of 0 months, produced a tea whose aroma and taste was considered to be 'tea-like'. In general, this local tea was preferred to the commerical samples when compared under the given test conditions. Chemical analyses revealed that moisture content, caffeine, protein, water extractables and tannin levels all changed significantly when the parameters of processing (Storage Time, Washing Temperature and Drying Temperature) were altered. The degree of process parameter interaction was variable.
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