Extraction of catechins and caffeine from different tealeaves and comparison with micellar electrokinetic chromatography

This work describes the simultaneous determination of catechins and caffeine in green, black tealeaves and canned tea-drink using micellar electrokinetic chromatography. The catechins analyzed include (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate. Using UV absorption method at 280 nm, the limits of detections of catechins and caffeine are 10^-6 mol/L, which is suitable for the real sample determination. Using this analytical method, the extraction of these compounds from the tealeaves with hot water is compared under different temperatures. The effects of temperature on the amount of catechins and caffeine extracted are evident, showing that (-)-epigallocatechin gallate is the most easiest to be extracted at 100°C. The stability of catechins and caffeine in stocking solution of tea-drink at 4°C is also compared on five consecutive days. The contents of catechins and caffeine in green and black teas are discussed and the difference of the content between different tealeaves can provide a reference for the assessment of tea quality.