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Towards generating caffeine-free tea by metabolic engineering

IR@IHBT: CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur

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Field Value
 
Title Towards generating caffeine-free tea by metabolic engineering
 
Creator Yadav , S K
Ahuja, Paramvir Singh
 
Subject Natural Product Chemistry
 
Description Tea is a rich source of antioxidants which are contributing substantially to the promotion of health and the prevention of various chronic diseases. Despite the fact that tea has various important compounds, it also contains a purine alkaloid, caffeine. High intake of tea leads to an increase in level of caffeine in addition to its important antioxidant constituents. Increased level of caffeine causes several health related problems. Therefore, tea can become a most useful source of beneficial compounds, if only its caffeine level is either decreased or eliminated all together from the plant itself. This could be achieved through either of the techniques; overexpressing caffeine degradative pathway genes or silencing caffeine biosynthesis pathway gene. The identification and cloning of caffeine biosynthesis in tea and degradative genes in microorganisms opens up the possibility of using genetic engineering to produce naturally decaffeinated tea. Here we review these different strategies which can be employed to make caffeine-free tea, a human health beneficial drink.
 
Publisher Springer, Van Godewijckstraat 30, 3311 GZ Dordrecht, Netherlands
 
Date 2007
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier http://ihbt.csircentral.net/87/1/2007_Towards.pdf
Yadav , S K and Ahuja, Paramvir Singh (2007) Towards generating caffeine-free tea by metabolic engineering. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition , 62 (4). pp. 185-191. ISSN 0921-9668
 
Relation http://ihbt.csircentral.net/87/