EFFECTS OF SHOOTING PERIOD, TIMES WITHIN SHOOTING PERIODS AND PROCESSING SYSTEMS ON THE EXTRACT, CAFFEINE AND CRUDE FIBER CONTENTS OF BLACKTEA

The extract, caffeine and crude fibre contents of black tea, from diff erent shooting periods, different times within each shooting period an d processed by five different commercial rolling methods, were examine d. The extract and crude fibre contents of black tea were significantl y (P < 0.01) affected by all these factors and their interactions. The caffeine content of black tea was affected by the shooting period and times within the shooting period. It was determined that processing m ethods did not have a significant (P < 0.05) effect on the caffeine co ntent. The amount of extract and caffeine decreased from the first sho oting period to the third, and also from the beginning of each shootin g period to the end. However, the crude fibre content of the black tea increased, especially from the beginning of each shooting period to t he end of each shooting period.