Preparation and functional properties of beverages made from moss phlox (Phlox subulata L.) leaves

Author: Takeshi Nagai ^1*, Taro Kawashima ¹, Nobutaka Suzuki ², Yasuhiro Tanoue ³, Norihisa Kai ³ and Toshio Nagashima ¹

Received 7 September 2006, accepted 30 November 2006.

Abstract

The teas made from moss phlox (Phlox subulata L.) leaves, namely unfermented tea, half-fermented tea and fermented tea, were prepared and the functional properties of these beverages were investigated. These beverages contained higher contents of total phenols (about 56-98 mg/g dry matter) and total vitamin C (about 1.0-1.5 mg/g dry matter) than high-quality green tea and powdered green tea. Moreover, these beverages possessed high antioxidant activities and superoxide anion radical-scavenging activities. It is expected to prevent oxidative damage such as lipid peroxidation, to promote the health conditions to patients suffering life-style-related diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular problems, diabetes and hypertension.

Key words: Moss phlox, leaves, tea beverage, antioxidant property, superoxide anion radical-scavenging activity, angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory activity.