Food and Humanity 1 (2023) 8–12 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Food and Humanity journal homepage: www.editorialmanager.com/foohum/journal_overview.html Quantifcation of dynamic changes of sugars during the aeration/oxidation period of black tea processing: A Sri Lankan study K.G. Nelum P. Piyasena ⁎ , L.S.K. Hettiarachchi, E.N.U. Edirisinghe, A.A.B. Abayarathne, W.S. Jayasinghe Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka, Talawakelle, Sri Lanka ABSTRACT The inherent sugar components viz. fructose, sucrose and glucose contents in the black tea from diferent elevations were studied and the dynamic changes in the major sugar components during the aeration/oxidation period in the black tea processing were investigated by using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. Signifcant diferences were observed in the fructose, glucose, and sucrose contents of the black tea from diferent elevations in Sri Lanka. The average inherent concentrations in black tea were concluded as fructose, 8.17 mg/g, glucose, 8.79 mg/g, and sucrose, 9.53 mg/g from diferent elevations in Sri Lanka. Signifcant dynamic changes were exhibited in the contents of sucrose, fructose, and glucose throughout the aeration/oxidation period in the black tea processing. Signifcantly higher sucrose content was observed in black tea manufactured using rolled leaves, bypassing the aeration/oxidation process. The results of this work showed the dynamic changing in major sugar components during the aeration/oxidation period in black tea processing and also provide information on the average inherent contents of major sugars present in black tea. 1. Introduction Tea is a beverage consumed worldwide. The terminal bud and the frst two leaves are used to produce all types of teas. There are three diferent kinds of teas inclusive of black, oolong, and green depending on the tea processing method. Globally, black tea is popular due to its unique favor, briskness, and taste (Abeywickrama, Ratnasooriya, & Amarakoon, 2011; Muthumani & Kumar, 2007; Zoysa, 2008). Black tea is comprised of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, amino acids, poly- phenols, methylxanthines, minerals, and fber (Balentine, Wiseman, & Bouwens, 1997). The potential health benefts of black tea are due to the presence of biologically active compounds such as methylxanthines, polyphenols, amino acids, and polysaccharides (Alcazar et al., 2007). Though numerous research studies have been undertaken to evaluate the variation of chemical constituents during the aeration period in black tea processing, and also seasonal and elevational variations, available information on the dynamic variation of its sugar components is limited (Fernando & Roberts, 1984; Lorenzo & Munekata, 2016; Ruxton, 2008). However, it is reported that in the formation of Amadori products and tea aroma, simple carbohydrates perform a vital role, and they improved the favor, mellow taste, and color of tea (Hara, Luo, Wickremashinghe, & Yamanishi, 1995a; Wang et al., 2021). In our previous study, we studied the major sugar components present in tea leaves and changes in these sugar components with tea leaf maturity, plucking time as well as leaf standards (Piyasena, Hettiarachchi, Jayawardhane, Edirisinghe, & Jayasinghe, 2022). In order to ensure the quality of made tea, International Organization of Standardization (ISO) has established standards for black tea (ISO 3720) and green tea (ISO 11287). These ISO standards clearly specify that tea should be produced by an acceptable process and the addition of any substance during tea processing is not allowed. However, there are allegations that certain tea producers use sucrose and glucose sirup during the tea processing due to the purpose of al- tering the appearance, and weight gain of made teas thereby earning illegal profts (Luqing, Lingdong, Jingming, & Zhengzhu, 2015; Lees & Morin, 2018; Wang et al., 2021). Further, it may cause issues with the storage of made tea due to the absorption of moisture caused by mi- crobiological contaminations (Luqing et al., 2015; Wang et al., 2021). Tea grows in a wide range of climates and soils and it is a crop of wide adaptability (Zoysa, 2008). In Sri Lanka, tea cultivation is classi- fed based on the elevation, as low (0–600 m), mid (600–1200 m), and high (> 1200 m) grown teas (Zoysa, 2008). In our previous investiga- tions, it is evident that the average inherent concentrations in black tea were, fructose, 7.14 mg/g, glucose, 6.36 mg/g, and sucrose, 5.96 mg/g from low elevation in Sri Lanka (Jayawardhane, Edirisinghe, Fernando, & Tharangika, 2021). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to study https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foohum.2023.01.001 Received 29 December 2022; Accepted 22 January 2023 2949-8244/© 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ]] ]] ]]]]]] ⁎ Correspondence to: Biochemistry Division, Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka, Sr. Coombs, Talawakelle, Sri Lanka. E-mail addresses: nelumpriya@yahoo.com (K.G.N.P. Piyasena), saman_hettiarachchi@yahoo.com (L.S.K. Hettiarachchi), ukedirisinghe@gmail.com (E.N.U. Edirisinghe), aanuruddhab@gmail.com (A.A.B. Abayarathne), warunisewwandi89@gmail.com (W.S. Jayasinghe).