Analysis of polyphenolic content in teas using sensors

Abstract

Tea is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. Green tea and Black tea are the most common and are both made from the same plant called Camellia sinensis. In South America, the most consumed tea is Mate tea from Ilex paraguariensis. Because of the polyphenols content, some classes of tea present strong antioxidant activity. In 20 years, there was an increase of interest in the bioactivity of the polyphenols mainly due to the potential health benefits of these components. Recent studies suggest the long-term consumption of some teas may contribute to reducing the risk of several diseases. health benefits of tea have led to its inclusion in the group of beverages with functional properties. Consequently, the detection of phenolic compounds is of great interest for medical, environmental, and food industry. Thus, analytical methods easily operate with highly sensitive, selective, and accurate for determining antioxidant compounds in beverages in general are required. Here, we present a review of the electrochemical sensors development and their application in polyphenol detection in tea samples.