Physicochemical Properties, Microbial Quality and Sensory Attributes of Different Black Tea Brands

Background: There are different types of local and international tea brands in the Iranian market having variation in their composition and quality; however, to the best of our knowledge, no proper study has been reported in Iran in this regard so far. The present study was undertaken to determine the physicochemical properties, microbial quality and organoleptic attributes of tea. Methods: This study was carried out with 500 g packages of three Iranian and four international black tea brands. The tea brands were then coded, and stored until further analysis according to Iranian and international standards. Results: International tea brands had the highest amount of caffeine (3.67), total soluble solid (water extract) (40.48), water soluble ash (67.91), alkalinity of water soluble ash (1.70) and bulk density (285.6), and the lowest amount of crude fiber (11.83). The lowest percentage of moisture content was observed in Iranian tea brands (4.96). Scores given to the organoleptic characteristics of Iranian and foreign tea brands were 13.25-14.25 and 16-18, respectively. Conclusion: Iranian tea brands had significant difference with international tea brands in physicochemical properties and organoleptic attributes except in total ash and microbial quality, which were not different significantly.