Chemical Analysis of Caffeine Content in Tea and Coffee Samples

Abstract

Tea refers to the agricultural products of the leaves, leaf buds and internodes of the Camellia Sinensis plant. The principal constituent of tea, which is responsible for all the properties, is the alkaloid caffeine. Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid and a stimulant drug. It is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants, as well as enhancing the reward memory of pollinators. Theanine is an amino acid found only in tea leaves, which imparts a pleasantly sweet taste to tea. It is degraded to glutamic acid and has relaxation effects in humans. Tea and coffee have no nutritional value, but have been drunk for their stimulating effects.