MACRO AND MICRO NUTRIENT CONTENTS IN BLACK TEA AND THEIR SOLUBILITIESIN TEA INFUSION

The macro and micro nutrient contents of south Indian black teas were analysed. The nutrient contents of tea leaves showed variations with c ultivar, genetic nature, season and maturity, The infusion had only ve ry little amounts of the nutrients compared to black tea. Only a fract ion of the total amount, depending upon the nature of the element, is soluble during infusion. The nutrient content of infusion depended on number of infusions and infusion time. The results showed that south I ndian black tea contained the required amounts of nutrient for bioavai lability.