New Green Tea Extract Designed for Enhanced Bioavailability in Beverages

Photo © iStockphoto.com/amber_b

For an ingredient that’s appearing so frequently in functional beverages, there are some major challenges in formulating with green tea extract. There’s bitterness for one, and limited bioavailability for another. But a new launch from Applied Food Sciences (AFS; Austin, TX) is designed to address both of these issues.

At the recent Natural Products Expo West trade show, AFS unveiled its new PurTea organic green tea extract. The ingredient is ideal for use as a natural energy and antioxidant source in beverages, according to AFS, and it is standardized for caffeine and catechins.

A defining feature of PurTea is its extraction process, which reduces the astringent taste notes and removes some of the compounds that pose challenges to the green tea extracts absorption.

“What makes PurTea most unique is how we purify our catechin stream to remove impurities that not only create negative sensory attributes but may reduce the overall absorption of the catechins within the body,” says Chris Fields, vice president of scientific affairs, Applied Food Sciences. “These catechins, when combined with the naturally occurring caffeine, can result in an enhanced energy source that is much more desirable to formulate within beverages.”

PurTea is also water soluble and certified organic.

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Michael Crane
Associate Editor
Nutritional Outlook Magazine
michael.crane@ubm.com