| dc.description.abstract | Black tea, produced through a series of processing steps including withering, rolling, roll
breaking, aeration, and drying of young tea shoots from Camellia sinensis (L.) plant, is
cultivated in various agro-ecological regions in Sri Lanka. Among these regions, high
grown teas from Dimbula, Nuwara-Eliya, Udupussellawa, and Uva are renowned for their
distinct specialty qualities. Unfortunately, the tea industry has been facing challenges due
to the adulteration of tea with sugar compounds, leading to a decline in the quality
of Sri Lanka tea. This research aims to investigate the sugar contents, specifically
fructose, glucose, and sucrose, in different grades of manufactured black tea from various
high grown agro-ecological regions. Samples were collected from randomly selected
tea factories, and the sugar contents were determined using High Performance Liquid
Chromatography (HPLC). Additionally, professional tea tasters evaluated the sensory
qualities of Broke Orange Pekoe Fannings (BOPF) grade and Dust 1 grade tea samples,
providing complementary data for the study. The analysis revealed significant variations
in sucrose content among black teas from different agro-ecological regions. The study
established the average values for fructose, glucose, and sucrose in orthodox black tea
produced in high grown elevation in Sri Lanka as 9.24 mg/g, 11.01 mg/g, and 16.42 mg/g,
respectively. These findings provide valuable insights into the sugar composition of black
tea, highlighting the impact of agro-ecological factors on sugar contents. This research
contributes to addressing the issue of sugar adulteration in the tea industry, enabling
quality control measures to preserve the authenticity and integrity of Sri Lanka’s black
tea production. | |
