Production and analysis of lipton Camellia sinensis wine

Wine was produced from lipton (yellow label) brand of tea and analysed for its pH, specific gravity, alcohol, total acidity, fixed acidity, vitamin C, some inorganic ions, total dissolved solid (TDS), total suspended solutes (TSS), phytochemical and microbial contents as well as its sensory evaluation. The must had pH and specific gravity values of 4.7 and 1.2 respectively. The pH of the tea wine (4.2) was significantly (P≤0.05) lower than that of the must (4.7) showing an increase in acidity. The specific gravity of the wine (1.09) was significantly (P≤0.05) lower than that of the must (1.2) showing a decrease in solute (sugar) content and an increase in alcohol content. The alcohol of the wine was 10.5% while total acidity, fixed acidity and volatile contents (as tartaric acid) were 0.97g/100mL, 0.96g/100mL and 0.01g/100mL, respectively. The ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) content of the wine was 0.01mg/100mL. The Fe2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, So42-, PO43- and NO3 contents (ppm) were 1.5, 49.5, 20.5, 29.0, 0.19 and 2.0 respectively. The TDS and TSS contents (ppm) were 1.0 x 105 and 1.5 x 105, respectively, and the wine was a white wine. Results of the phytochemical analysis showed that the wine contained alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, and tannins while the microbial analysis did not show any microbial growth. Sensory evaluation of the wine showed that it was generally accepted. The results showed that the wine was safe and also generally accepted.Bio-Research Vol. 3(1) 2005: 35-3