Studies on the ‘fermentation’ of Ceylon tea

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Abstract
The relative rates of oxidation of catechol, tea tannin, pyrogallol, quinol and ascorbic acid by the tea enzyme prepared with acetone have been studied by manometric methods. The discrepancy in the comparative rates of oxidation of catechol and tea tannin between our results and those of Assam workers is shown to be due to an inhibitory effect, under the conditions of Assam expts., of the condensation products of oxidized tea tannin on the oxidation of catechol. In view of this, the supposition of 2 different enzymes in Assam and Ceylon seems unnecessary. The presence of oxidized products of poly-phenols at the commencement of a subsequent polyphenol oxidation reaction affects, in general, the course of such reaction. The action of the enzyme prepd. with acetone in a mixture of catechol and tea-tannin substrates has yielded results consistent with the view that both these substrates are oxidized by a common enzyme, namely, the tea polyphenol oxidase.

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