• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Lifestyle
Stellenbosch PhD student Brigitte de Preez testing samples of honeybush tea in the lab. Photo: Anton Jordaan/Supplied

PhD student develops quality grading system for honeybush tea

23rd December 2020
Many people love avocados, but did you know that the introduction of just one of these fruits per day can improve the overall quality of your diet? Photo: Pixabay

An avocado a day can keep the doctor away

10th August 2022
Davidzo Chizhengeni, animal scientist, founder of KvD livestock, Ika Cronje, farmer and participant in the Corteva Women Agripreneur 2022 programme, Vuyokazi Makapela, a Director at Afrivet, and permaculture farmer, Stephanie Mullins. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Podcast: Prevent rabies with vaccination

10th August 2022
ADVERTISEMENT
Control and prevent downy mildew on crops

Control and prevent downy mildew on crops

10th August 2022
The value of South Africa’s informal farming sector is understated, experts say, and many farmers say that they prefer trading to this segment of the economy. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

New farmer? Informal markets ‘the way to go’

10th August 2022
Gauteng police recovered and confiscated sheep and goats in Sedibeng this week. Photo: Supplied/SAPS

ICYMI: Police recover stolen livestock

10th August 2022
Ecological farming the answer to food insecurity

Ecological farming the answer to food insecurity

9th August 2022
Setting up a regenerative smallholding

Setting up a regenerative smallholding

9th August 2022
Determination drives this #SoilSista to succeed

Determination drives this #SoilSista to succeed

9th August 2022
The women who dared to start farming in Mzansi when few others would. Photo: Food For Mzansi

She bosses: ‘We see farming changing for good’

9th August 2022
Refiloe Molefe has vowed to build a new urban farm after the City of Johannesburg bulldozed the site she built in Bertrams. Photo: Supplied/GroundUp

ICYMI: Mama Fifi determined to rise again

9th August 2022
Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

8th August 2022
Claire and Martin Joubert have sacrificed and struggled to become top breeders of Ankole cattle in South Africa. But giving up was never an option, because they wanted to offer only the very best Ankole genetics in the country. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Farming couple lives and breathes Ankole cattle

8th August 2022
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
11 GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Food For Mzansi
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
    • All
    • AgriCareers
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Farmers
    • Groundbreakers
    • Innovators
    • Inspiration
    • It Takes a Village
    • Mentors
    • Movers and Shakers
    • Partnerships
    Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

    Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

    Claire and Martin Joubert have sacrificed and struggled to become top breeders of Ankole cattle in South Africa. But giving up was never an option, because they wanted to offer only the very best Ankole genetics in the country. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Farming couple lives and breathes Ankole cattle

    Tackling climate change, one tree at a time

    Agricareers: Veterinary science not for the timid

    Agricareers: Veterinary science not for the timid

    Once struggling farm now a family heirloom

    Optimal yields now at farmers’ finger tips

    Some of the children with the ECD practitioner Yolanda Shabalala. Zero2Five Trust promotes holistic Early Childhood Development in formerly disadvantaged areas by improving learners’ health and education outcomes with nutrition and education programmes. Photo: Supplied/Zero2Five Trust

    Zero2Five: Giving hope to KZN flood victims

    Agripreneur 101: Kupisa Sauce is going places

    Agripreneur 101: Kupisa Sauce is going places

    Ncumisa Mkabile, is a farmer, community activist that has won numerous awards for her work in agriculture. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Farmer, influencer, go-getter – Ncumisa’s all that

  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
No Result
View All Result
Food For Mzansi

PhD student develops quality grading system for honeybush tea

by Staff Reporter
23rd December 2020
in News
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Stellenbosch PhD student Brigitte de Preez testing samples of honeybush tea in the lab. Photo: Anton Jordaan/Supplied

Stellenbosch PhD student Brigitte de Preez testing samples of honeybush tea in the lab. Photo: Anton Jordaan/Supplied

Tea lovers recognise a good cup of honeybush tea when they drink it: It has just the right aroma, colour and taste on the palate.

But how do you distinguish a high-quality brew of honeybush tea from a mediocre one? And, how do you describe and quantify the differences between brews in a way that improves quality control in the supply chain, from crop to cup?

Brigitte du Preez focused her PhD study on these questions. She received her degree from Stellenbosch University’s department of food sciences during a recent graduation ceremony for the faculty of agrisciences.

ADVERTISEMENT

Research supported by the ARC

Du Preez’s dissertation is titled “Development of a quality grading system for the honeybush (Cyclopia spp.) tea industry.” Her study forms part of the Agricultural Research Council’s research on honeybush tea, in which Matie researchers are participating.

Her research shows it is possible to provide a sensory “quality seal” for different batches of tea. The sensory qualities of honeybush tea, including its aroma, appearance and taste, are crucial in distinguishing between high- and poor-quality tea products, she says.

“As demand for honeybush tea grows, all production batches should meet optimum standards. Only quality batches should reach the market.”

“Honeybush tea has a recognisable fragrant floral, apricot, caramel and fynbos-sweet aroma and sweet taste,” Du Preez explains. “Its characteristic sensory profile has been mapped and can be used in quality scoring of samples of different production batches of the tea.”

Brigitte du Preez recently received her PhD degree from Stellenbosch University. Photo: Supplied
Brigitte du Preez recently received her PhD degree from Stellenbosch University. Photo: Supplied

The honeybush tea industry has rapidly grown over the past two decades from a local cottage industry to a participant in the global herbal tea trade, one of the fastest developing segments of the hot beverages industry.

But there is tough competition in the market, and some challenges to overcome in expanding the industry’s market share.

Until now, there was no standardised set of measures to evaluate the sensory aspects of honeybush tea. Commercial processors, packers and marketers all use different ways to assess and communicate the sensory quality of the tea. South African government regulations also do not specify sensory standards for honeybush tea. As such, tea of variable quality is released onto the market.

Sensory characteristics of tea

Du Preez’s work could help address some of these challenges. She developed a user-friendly, quick and reliable quality grading system on the basis of input from role players in the industry. This novel system provides a scientific way to evaluate and describe the sensory characteristics of different tea batches.

She used a large dataset as a foundation for her research. This dataset was compiled from the sensory, colour and turbidity (clarity) analyses of 585 tea batches that represented high to poor quality teas. She focused her efforts on three honeybush species (C. intermedia, C. subternata and C. genistoides) that are considered commercially important.

Stellenbosch PhD graduate Brigitte du Preez studied the sensory, colour and turbidity (clarity) analyses of 585 tea batches that represented high to poor quality teas. Photo: Brigitte du Preez/Supplied
Stellenbosch PhD graduate Brigitte du Preez studied the sensory, colour and turbidity (clarity) analyses of 585 tea batches that represented high to poor quality teas. Photo: Brigitte du Preez/Supplied

Du Preez developed universal chemical-based reference standards to replace the food-based reference standards in the aroma lexicon of honeybush tea. This lexicon is a standardised descriptive vocabulary that describes the sensory characteristics of the tea.

ADVERTISEMENT

The chemicals represent 23 aroma attributes of honeybush tea. A chemical is added to a base honeybush tea for evaluation of a specific honeybush aroma to train assessors in its “sensory language”.

Du Preez furthermore identified sensory classes and specifications for high, moderate, low and poor quality tea.

High quality represents premium quality tea and moderate quality represents the minimum standard for a consumer product. Low quality represents the minimum standard for batch blending, whilst poor quality represents the level at which the industry should reject batches.

“High-quality honeybush tea has a reddish-brown colour, a high intensity of floral, fruity and sweet aromas, with sweetness and some astringency on the palate,” Du Preez explains. “Poor quality tea is characterised by an insipid overall sensory character on the palate, high intensities of taints, including ‘smoky’, ‘medicinal’ and ‘musty’ flavours.”

Du Preez’s grading system and supporting tools can now be used throughout the supply chain. These tools include a revised aroma lexicon and wheel that visually maps the aroma attributes of honeybush tea and their intensities, as well as a scorecard and colour reference card for ease of use in routine quality control. She also tested two rapid sensory methods for screening of a large number of tea batches.

The novel application of these methods in sensory quality control would aid tea packing companies in the rapid assessment of tea for batch blending purposes, as well as researchers involved in honeybush plant cultivation.

Honeybush tea is a South African herbal tea made from the leaves of the honeybush plant. It is grown on the Eastern Cape of South Africa and is closely related to rooibos tea. Photo: Supplied
Honeybush tea is a South African herbal tea made from the leaves of the honeybush plant. It is grown on the Eastern Cape of South Africa and is closely related to rooibos tea. Photo: Supplied

Also, the aroma references can help honeybush processors and marketers understand honeybush sensory vocabulary (such as “fynbos-floral”) and taint terminology (such as “medicinal” and “smoky”). This understanding will equip them to communicate unambiguously through means of these standardised terms, and simplify the sensory quality control process.

Finally, the new system and tools could also form a basis for regulatory control in terms of certification and export control.

Global demand for honeybush tea

Sensory quality control is critical to supporting the sustainable growth of the industry, Du Preez believes. “It is also needed to ensure that good tea quality is not forfeited during the breeding of ‘superior’ plant material within research.

“As demand for honeybush tea grows, all production batches should meet optimum quality standards. Only quality batches should reach the market.”

Honeybush tea is a South African herbal tea brewed from the fermented leaves and stems of the honeybush plant (Cyclopia spp.). It is named after the honey-like smell of its bright yellow flowers.

This endemic fynbos shrub grows naturally in the Western and Eastern Cape, in an area ranging from Piketberg to Port Elizabeth. There are currently 23 known species of honeybush in Mzansi. Approximately 350 tonnes of locally processed tea products were exported in 2019, including to countries such as South Korea and Japan.

Previous Post

7 last minute recipes for Christmas lunch

Next Post

Tannie Susan, the cotton queen of the Northern Cape

Staff Reporter

Staff Reporter

Researched and written by our team of writers and editors.

Related Posts

Many people love avocados, but did you know that the introduction of just one of these fruits per day can improve the overall quality of your diet? Photo: Pixabay

An avocado a day can keep the doctor away

by Staff Reporter
10th August 2022
0

People across the world enjoy avocados in many different ways. A recent study found that avos have many health benefits,...

Davidzo Chizhengeni, animal scientist, founder of KvD livestock, Ika Cronje, farmer and participant in the Corteva Women Agripreneur 2022 programme, Vuyokazi Makapela, a Director at Afrivet, and permaculture farmer, Stephanie Mullins. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Podcast: Prevent rabies with vaccination

by Vateka Halile
10th August 2022
0

Rabies regularly occurs in wildlife, but it can easily spill over to domestic animals in urban areas, says an Afrivet...

Control and prevent downy mildew on crops

Control and prevent downy mildew on crops

by Nicole Ludolph
10th August 2022
0

ADVERTORIAL: Broccoli and cauliflower farmers need to watch out for downy mildew, a plant fungus common in wet conditions. Simon...

The value of South Africa’s informal farming sector is understated, experts say, and many farmers say that they prefer trading to this segment of the economy. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

New farmer? Informal markets ‘the way to go’

by Tiisetso Manoko
10th August 2022
0

Apart from the 40 000 commercial farmers in Mzansi, hundreds of thousands of smallholders contribute to the economy too. Many...

Next Post
Susan van der Merwe (60) is the reigning cotton queen of the Northern Cape. Photo: Supplied.

Tannie Susan, the cotton queen of the Northern Cape

The value of South Africa’s informal farming sector is understated, experts say, and many farmers say that they prefer trading to this segment of the economy. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi
News

New farmer? Informal markets ‘the way to go’

by Tiisetso Manoko
10th August 2022
0

Apart from the 40 000 commercial farmers in Mzansi, hundreds of thousands of smallholders contribute to the economy too. Many...

Read more
Gauteng police recovered and confiscated sheep and goats in Sedibeng this week. Photo: Supplied/SAPS

ICYMI: Police recover stolen livestock

10th August 2022
Ecological farming the answer to food insecurity

Ecological farming the answer to food insecurity

9th August 2022
Setting up a regenerative smallholding

Setting up a regenerative smallholding

9th August 2022
Determination drives this #SoilSista to succeed

Determination drives this #SoilSista to succeed

9th August 2022

An avocado a day can keep the doctor away

This week’s agriculture events: 08 to 12 August 2022

Get the best out of your pigs’ genetics

She bosses: ‘We see farming changing for good’

Tackling climate change, one tree at a time

Women farmers bolster Tiger Brands value chain

THE NEW FACE OF SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

With 12 global awards in the first three years of its existence, Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication. It is a movement, unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture. We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society.

An avocado a day can keep the doctor away

Podcast: Prevent rabies with vaccination

Control and prevent downy mildew on crops

New farmer? Informal markets ‘the way to go’

ICYMI: Police recover stolen livestock

Ecological farming the answer to food insecurity

  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824
News: info@foodformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought

Copyright © 2021 Food for Mzansi

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.