India to soon manufacture health capsule from tea extract

In what can be a boost for the Make in India slogan the industry and lab are entering into new areas of partnership—latest being transfer of technology from a CSIR lab to make multi nutritional health capsule from tea extracts.

In what can be a boost for the Make in India slogan the industry and lab are entering into new areas of partnership—latest being transfer of technology from a CSIR lab to make multi nutritional health capsule from tea extracts.

CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur in Himachal Pradesh has developed technology for extraction of catechins using water and green solvents without using any hazardous chemicals. The technology purifies catechins from fresh shoots as well as underutilized parts of the tea plant mainly flower, fruit and mature shoots which otherwise are not used for making tea. These catechins can be used as tea polyphenols or employed to produce theaflavins in vitro.

An MoU has been signed with M/s. Baijnath Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. for transfer of technology for production of catechins and theaflavins. Demonstration for purification of catechins is under progress. Different formulations of tea polyphenols will be available in the Indian market by next year.

“We are targeting a business of 10-15 crore per year . At present we are getting this from Japan and China. Once we start manufacturing this locally, there would be reduction in cost,” says a source of Baijnath Pharmaceuticals.

Tea polyphenols have emerged as nutraceuticals having substantial share in the dietary supplement market. Tea polyphenols found in green tea, oolong tea and black tea act as antioxidants and help in prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s apart from having cardio-protective and anticancer properties.

Besides being used as dietary supplements, polyphenols can be employed in various applications such as in beverages, confectionary, cosmetics, food preservatives, as natural colours etc. The major natural sources of polyphenols are apple, tea and grape seed. Of the polyphenols consumed worldwide, tea catechins have emerged as the leading polyphenols accounting for 72.5% of total market volume in 2012

Global market for tea polyphenols is expected to exceed $25 million by 2020. Japan and China are the major exporters of green tea polyphenols to developed countries.

North America is the major consumer with 27%, closely followed by Europe accounting for 26% of the global tea polyphenols consumed worldwide in 2012.