• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.100-109
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• 2024

This study examined the quality characteristics and antioxidant properties of sword bean tea available in domestic markets. Each product of sword bean tea had distinct appearance characteristics. The color, pH, brownness, and turbidity of the tea varied significantly across different products, with tea bags showing higher levels of brownness and turbidity. The total polyphenol content of hot water extraction ranged from 165.13 to 517.69 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g sample for pod tea, 999.36 to 2,054.74 mg GAE/100 g sample for tea bag tea, and 74.62 to 275.00 mg GAE/100 g sample for grain tea, respectively. Similarly, the total flavonoid content, measured in terms of catechin equivalents (CE), ranged from 39.51 to 65.00 mg CE/100 g sample for pod tea, 86.57 to 253.63 mg CE/100 g sample for tea bag tea, and 32.94 to 38.63 mg CE/100 g sample for grain tea, for hot water extraction. The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities of pod tea were 95.68 to 276.19 mg TE/100 g sample and 270.87 to 804.21 mg trolox equivalents/100 g sample, respectively, for hot water extraction. These results suggest the need to establish quality standards to ensure consistent quality of sword bean tea.