茶紅素(Thearubigins)是存在於紅茶中的一種橙褐色色素,是茶葉發酵的產物[1]。茶紅素呈紅色,是造成茶葉染色效果的主要原因[2]。茶紅素呈紅色,是造成茶葉染色效果的主要原因。因此,紅茶(完全氧化的)茶通常呈現紅色,而綠茶或白茶的外觀則清晰得多。 然而,紅茶的顏色也受到許多其他因素的影響,例如茶黃素(另一種氧化形式的多酚)的含量。
茶紅素首先由 Roberts, E. A. H.在1960年代[3]通過光譜學[4]或分餾或紙色譜法[5]進行了研究。 它們在 1969 年被鑑定為原花青素[6]。 1983 年在體外模型中(in vitro model)研究了茶紅素的形成[1]。
1996年對紅茶提取物中的茶紅素進行了降解研究[7]。 量化方法基於1995年的波特分析[8]和 1992 年在 C18 吸附劑柱上進行的分離[9]。
一些新的結構被提出了,例如,在1997年的 theacitrin[10]或在2003年(茶素A,Theasinensin A和茶素B, Theasinensin B)[11] 。 進一步的研究在 2004 年使用了 MALDI-TOF 質譜法[12],在 2010 年使用了其他技術[13][14]。 2009 年表明,紅茶中茶紅素的形成與兒茶素的消耗有關[15]。
在生物化學上,茶紅素是一類分子差異極大的異質性紅色或褐紅色的酚性物質,但很難提取。
茶紅素,橙褐色化合物占干茶的6%到8%的重量。茶紅素在茶湯的味道,色澤,方面,起到了一定的作用,茶紅素約佔總顏色的35%,也在成品茶的褐色方面起到了重要的作用。
Robertson, Alastair; Bendall, Derek S. Production and HPLC analysis of black tea theaflavins and thearubigins during in vitro oxidation. Phytochemistry. 1983, 22 (4): 883–7. doi:10.1016/0031-9422(83)85016-X.
Roberts, E. A. H. Economic importance of flavonoid substances: tea fermentation. Geissman, T. A. (編). The Chemistry of Flavonoid Compounds. New York: MacMillan. 1962: 468–512. OCLC 10460879.
Roberts, E. A. H.; Smith, R. F. The phenolic substances of manufactured tea. IX.—the spectrophotometric evaluation of tea liquors. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 1963, 14 (10): 689–700. doi:10.1002/jsfa.2740141002.
Roberts, E. A. H.; Cartwright, R. A.; Oldschool, M. The phenolic substances of manufactured tea. I.—Fractionation and paper chromatography of water-soluble substances. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 1957, 8 (2): 72–80. doi:10.1002/jsfa.2740080203.
Ozawa, Tetsuo; Kataoka, Mari; Morikawa, Keiko; Negishi, Osamu. Elucidation of the Partial Structure of Polymeric Thearubigins from Black Tea by Chemical Degradation. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry. 1996, 60 (12): 2023. doi:10.1271/bbb.60.2023. INIST:2576463.
Powell, Christopher; Clifford, Michael N; Opie, Shaun C; Gibson, Colin L. Use of Porter's reagents for the characterisation of thearubigins and other non-proanthocyanidins. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 1995, 68 (1): 33–8. doi:10.1002/jsfa.2740680106.
Whitehead, David L; Temple, Catherine M. Rapid method for measuring thearubigins and theaflavins in black tea using C18 sorbent cartridges. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 1992, 58 (1): 149–52. doi:10.1002/jsfa.2740580126.
Menet, Marie-Claude; Sang, Shengmin; Yang, Chung S.; Ho, Chi-Tang; Rosen, Robert T. Analysis of Theaflavins and Thearubigins from Black Tea Extract by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2004, 52 (9): 2455–61. PMID 15113141. doi:10.1021/jf035427e.
Kuhnert, Nikolai; Drynan, J. Warren; Obuchowicz, Jaczek; Clifford, Michael N.; Witt, Matthias. Mass spectrometric characterization of black tea thearubigins leading to an oxidative cascade hypothesis for thearubigin formation. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. 2010, 24 (23): 3387–404. Bibcode:2010RCMS...24.3387K. PMID 21072794. doi:10.1002/rcm.4778.
Ngure, Francis Muigai; Wanyoko, John K.; Mahungu, Symon M.; Shitandi, Anakalo A. Catechins depletion patterns in relation to theaflavin and thearubigins formation. Food Chemistry. 2009, 115 (1): 8–14. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.10.006. INIST:21274489.