ANTIRADICAL EFFICIENCY OF TEA COMPONENTS

Tea contains antioxidant compounds, such as (-)-epicatechin (EC), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), gallic acid and caffeine. The antioxidant activity of these compounds as well as 1,3,7-trimethyluric acid (the major metabolite of caffeine) was evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH). The antiradical ability according to the EC50 was EGCG > ECG > EGC > gallic acid > EC > BHT > 1,3,7-trimethyluric acid > caffeine. The time for these compounds to reach the steady state was considered, and the concept of antioxidant efficiency (AE50) involving the EC50 and the time to reach the steady state was used to evaluate the antiradical efficacy. The order of antiradical efficiency according to AE50 was ECG gallic acid > EGCG > EC > EGC > BHT > 1,3,7-trimethyluric acid > caffeine.