beverages Article Total Polyphenol Content and Antioxidant Capacity of Tea Bags: Comparison of Black, Green, Red Rooibos, Chamomile and Peppermint over Different Steep Times Riley Cleverdon 1,2,†, Yasmeen Elhalaby 1,2,†, Michael D. McAlpine 1,2 ID , William Gittings 1,2 and Wendy E. Ward 1,2,* ID 1 Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Walker Complex RM 290, Brock University, 1812 Sir Issac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada;
[email protected] (R.C.);
[email protected] (Y.E.);
[email protected] (M.D.M.);
[email protected] (W.G.) 2 Centre for Bone & Muscle Health, Brock University, 1812 Sir Issac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +1-905-688-5550 (ext. 3024) † These authors contributed equally to this work. Received: 13 December 2017; Accepted: 19 January 2018; Published: 12 February 2018 Abstract: Globally, traditional and herbal teas are a prominent dietary source of polyphenols, and represent a class of bioactive molecules that are closely associated with a variety of health benefits. Most consumers prepare tea using tea bags, although there is little information about whether this production step alters the content of the final product. The study purpose was to investigate the effect of steep time and tea type on the polyphenol content and predicted antioxidant capacity of commercially available tea bag products, including Green, Orange Pekoe, Red Roiboos, Peppermint, and Chamomile. Total polyphenol content (TPC), antioxidant capacity (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl inhibition), and total predicted antioxidant capacity were measured in aliquots sampled every minute for 10 min.