Qualitative and quantitative analysis of caffeine in some commercial brands of tea consumed in India

Caffeine is a common organic molecule found in many beverages such as coffee, tea, energy drinks and cola, which make the drinks addictive. Caffeine has drawn more attention due to its physiological effects beyond its stimulatory effect on central nervous system, hence it is used both recreationally and medically to reduce physical fatigue and restore mental alertness when unusual weakness or drowsiness occurs. Caffeine content in various energy drinks and beverage varies from 10 to 50 mg of caffeine per serving; however the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA, 2006) limits the maximum amount in carbonated beverages to 6 mg/oz. Large amount of caffeine consumption can cause physiological and psychiatrically dependence. The aim of this study is to determine the concentration of caffeine in tea brands available in India to ensure whether the caffeine concentration in the follow tea as per FDA recommendation or not. There are few reputed brands like Taj, Red Label, Agni and other local brands like Mohini, and Krishna Gopal were studied, by using simple and fast standard UV-Visible spectrophotometric method. The minimum caffeine level was observed in the Mohini brand tea, while Taj tea brand sample showed the highest caffeine content.