How many flavonoids are there in tea?

[janelee]

Black and green teas both contain comparable amounts of flavonoids; however they differ in their chemical structure. Green teas contain more of the simple flavonoids called catechins, while the oxidisation that the leaves undergo to make black tea converts these simple flavonoids to the more complex varieties called theaflavins and thearubigins. The table below provides average values for the different flavonoids present in green and black tea, although they will differ depending on the variety of leaf, growing environment, manufacturing, particle size of ground tea leaves and infusion preparation.

Flavonoids in green and black tea

Flavonoids Green Tea(average/ 100g) Black Tea(average/100g)
Catechins 14.2g 4.0g
Theaflavins - 0.94
Flavonol glycosides 0.64 0.47
Flavone C glycosides 0.086 0.051
Total polyphenols 16.0 15.6