Theaflavin (TF) and its derivatives, known collectively as ''theaflavins'', are

antioxidant Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. This can lead to polymerization and other chain reactions. They are frequently added to industrial products, such as fuels and lubricant ...

polyphenol Polyphenols () are a large family of naturally occurring organic compounds characterized by multiples of phenol units. They are abundant in plants and structurally diverse. Polyphenols include flavonoids, tannic acid, and ellagitannin, some of ...

s that are formed from the condensation of

flavan-3-ol Flavan-3-ols (sometimes referred to as flavanols) are a subgroup of flavonoids. They are derivatives of flavans that possess a 2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2''H''-chromen-3-ol skeleton. Flavan-3-ols are structurally diverse and include a range of comp ...

s in

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

leaves during the enzymatic oxidation (sometimes erroneously referred to as

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

) of

black tea Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from ...

Theaflavin-3-gallate Theaflavin-3-gallate is a theaflavin derivative. It can be found in abundance in black tea and is produced during fermentation. It has been studied as a cancer-fighting chemical when combined with cisplatin against ovarian cancer cells. Consuming ...

, theaflavin-3'-gallate, and theaflavin-3-3'-digallate are the main theaflavins. Theaflavins are types of

thearubigin Thearubigins are polymeric polyphenols that are formed during the enzymatic oxidation and condensation of two gallocatechins (epigallocatechin and epigallocatechin gallate) with the participation of polyphenol oxidases during the fermentation rea ...

s, and are therefore reddish in color. Those molecules contain a

tropolone Tropolone is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is a pale yellow solid that is soluble in organic solvents. The compound has been of interest to research chemists because of its unusual electronic structure and its role as a ligan ...

moiety. Certain benefits of black tea containing TFs can include the ability to whiten skin in cosmetics and support antiobesity by affecting lipid metabolism. The radical scavenging function remains under investigation.

References

{{Teas Phenol antioxidants Cancer research Antiviral drugs Thearubigins Catechols Resorcinols Tropolones

See also

References