Evaluation of phenolic compounds in Camellia Sinensis aqueous extracts and its in-vitro antibacterial activity

Camellia sinensis is found to have polyphenolic content which is proven under research to be beneficial to the human body. The type of tea and the way it is prepared provides varying benefits to consumers. The present research aims to estimate the optimum conditions for which tea should be prepared to yield the highest polyphenolic content and to predict the most effective tea on different bacterias. Samples of tea which have undergone different stages of fermentation were tested on bacteria cultures by introducing a certain amount of the tea sample into the bacteria and inoculating the solution on LB agar to be incubated for 24 hours. The research revealed that tea prepared at higher temperatures retained more of its polyphenolic content as compared to tea which was prepared at lower temperatures. It is also revealed that oolong tea was more efficient in killing bacteria than the other teas tested while red tea contained the most metabolites in a given volume.