Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Fluorine in food with special reference to tea

Journal Article · · Contrib. Boyce Thompson Inst.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6554208

A review of the literature showed that in 1932 commercial tea, Camellia sinensis Kuntze (Thea sinensis L., Camellia thea Link.), was known to contain fluorine (F). Since ornamental camellias (C. japonica L.) and tea are members of the Theaceae family, comparisons were made of the F in leaves of the two species. The dry leaves of various domestic brands of tea, composed mostly of young leaves, contained 72 to 115 parts per million (p.p.m.) F and Chinese tea 131 to 178 p.p.m. F on a dry weight basis. One sample of fresh leaves of greenhouse grown tea plants contained 1530 p.p.m. F on a dry weight basis and the older leaves of ornamental camellias up to 3062 p.p.m. F. One sample of young leaves of C. japonica contained 67 p.p.m. F. Thus both species of Camellia have the capacity to accumulate relatively large amounts of F, especially in the older leaves. The infusion (beverage) from one tea bag in 4.5 fluid oz. of water contained 0.8 to 1.7 p.p.m. F after 3 minutes steeping and 1.0 to 2.0 p.p.m. F after 3 minutes boiling.

OSTI ID:
6554208
Journal Information:
Contrib. Boyce Thompson Inst.; (United States), Journal Name: Contrib. Boyce Thompson Inst.; (United States) Vol. 19:1; ISSN CBTIA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Tea and cancer prevention: Molecular mechanisms and human relevance
Journal Article · Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2007 · Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology · OSTI ID:21077836

A novel cold-regulated gene from Camellia sinensis, CsCOR1, enhances salt- and dehydration-tolerance in tobacco
Journal Article · Fri Apr 02 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications · OSTI ID:22202442

Metabolome and RNA-seq Analysis of Responses to Nitrogen Deprivation and Resupply in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis) Roots
Journal Article · Fri Aug 26 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Frontiers in Plant Science · OSTI ID:1883626