Advances in the Utilization of Tea Polysaccharides: Preparation, Physicochemical Properties, and Health Benefits

Abstract

Tea polysaccharide (TPS) is the second most abundant ingredient in tea following tea polyphenols. As a complex polysaccharide, TPS has a complex chemical structure and a variety of bioactivities, such as anti-oxidation, hypoglycemia, hypolipidemic, immune regulation, and anti-tumor. Additionally, it shows excellent development and application prospects in food, cosmetics, and medical and health care products. However, numerous studies have shown that the bioactivity of TPS is closely related to its sources, processing methods, and extraction methods. Therefore, the authors of this paper reviewed the relevant recent research and conducted a comprehensive and systematic review of the extraction methods, physicochemical properties, and bioactivities of TPS to strengthen the understanding and exploration of the bioactivities of TPS. This review provides a reference for preparing and developing functional TPS products.

Impact of a Sonochemical Approach to the Structural and Antioxidant Activity of Brown Algae (Fucoidan) Using the Box–Behnken Design Method

“…Ultrasonic treatment: An ultrasonic processor (Volna UZTA 063/22 OM, Biysk, Russia) with a 10 mm horn microtip was used to conduct the ultrasound procedure. The ultrasonic processor ran at a frequency of 22 kHz and had a maximum power of 630 W. A 1 mg/mL concentration of an aqueous solution of fucoidan was prepared with minor modifications [21]. To sustain a constant temperature, the tube was submerged in a water bath (DC-1006, Safe Corp., Ningbo, Zhejiang, China).…”

“…GPC was used to calculate the average Mw and polydispersity index (PDI) values using the technique labeled by [21], with specific alterations. The average Mw was determined using a Waters 1525 HPLC system (Waters, Milford, MA, USA) and a TSKGEL 4000 column (Tosoh Bioscience, Tokyo, Japan).…”

“…Li et al, 2022 [18] studied the ultrasound degradation of Genistein Combined Polysaccharide (GCP) and showed that there was a slight structural change alongside a difference in the molar ratio with more antioxidant activity when compared to native polysaccharide. Similarly, observation was made for lentinan ultrasound treatment [19] and Laminaria japonica polysaccharide [20,21], which investigated whether yellow tea polysaccharides of high molecular weight subjected to ultrasound treatment were simpler to break than low molecular weight polysaccharides. However, the basic structures of these polysaccharides remained unchanged by ultrasonication, though breaks occurred upon chain scission to the backbone or side branches.…”

The medicinal value of tea drinking in the management of COVID-19

“…Even if the virus enters the body, various active ingredients in tea can still reduce the level of cytokine storm caused by SARS-CoV-2 through multiple mechanisms and improve the various sequelae of COVID-19 [ 13 ]. At the same time, the polysaccharides in tea can enhance the immune regulation of the body to play a key role in preventing secondary infection of the virus [ 14 ].…”

Compositions and Antioxidant Activity of Tea Polysaccharides Extracted from Different Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) Varieties

“…TPS is an acidic glycoprotein substance extracted from tea [5]. TPS possesses various bioactivities, including hypoglycemic activity, antidiabetic, antitumor, and antioxidant, which have been widely utilized in the food and medical industry [6][7][8][9].…”