Phenolic Contents and Antioxidant Activities of Green Tea with and without Lemon

Abstract

Tea is the most widely consumed beverage throughout the world, after water and is considered as a good antioxidant nutrient against free radical reactions. Lemons are citrus fruits that are very common in many parts of the world and are well known for their health benefits. In this study, different assays were used to evaluate total phenolic content and antioxidant activities of green tea with and without lemon. Our results showed that green tea with lemon has higher phenolic content, stronger reducing power than green tea without lemon; and exhibits a significant inhibition of 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). However, both samples exhibited high ferrous chelating activity with no significant difference among each other indicating a good antioxidant potential for both. This is a comparative study between green tea and green tea supplemented with lemon. The study contributes to a better understanding about how the addition of supplements like lemon might influence the antioxidant activity of tea.