Table 3.

Testing procedures to be utilized in the pilot study for the analysis of green tea botanical dietary supplements.

Ingredient Analysis/Test	Method	Units reported	Reason for Analysis
Individual catechins, includes:  (+)-catechin  (−)-epicatechin  (−)-epicatechin gallate  (−)-epigallocatechin (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)  (−)-gallocatechin  (−)-gallocatechin gallate	HPLC	mg/g	Catechins, especially EGCG, are believed to be one of the main primary bioactives components in green tea.
Gallic acid	HPLC	mg/g	Organic acid with antioxidant properties
Methylxanthines, include: Caffeine Theobromine Theophylline	HPLC	mg/g	Methylxanthines are alkaloids found in many plants.
L-theanine	HPLC	mg/g	Dried tea extract contains 4 to 6 percent theanine, an amino acid found only in tea. Theanine is sometimes added to dietary supplements as a purified extract from green tea.
Total Polyphenols	Folin C	Gallic Acid Equivalents (GAE)	This is a non-specific test, but polyphenol content is the most commonly reported value on green tea dietary supplement labels
Botanical Identity testing	DNA	NA	Products with green tea leaf listed on the label will be considered for botanical identity testing