Tocklai scientists develop tea wine

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, Sept 21:  A team of five Tocklai scientists led by Dr. Prasanta Dutta and his team developed tea wine from three varieties of tea - CTC wine, orthodox wine and green tea wine - from the Department of Mycology and Microbiology of the Tocklai Tea Research Institute, the pioneer tea research institute of the world. The tea wine from the three varieties of tea will soon go commercial. The scientist who led the team, Dr. Prasanta Dutta had been working in the project since the last part of 2015 till a week ago and it was officially launched for the public on Wednesday during the annual general meeting of Tocklai Tea Research Association (TRA) that was held at Tocklai for the first time in its Tocklai Jorhat campus, said Dr Anup Kumar Baruah, the Director of Tocklai Tea Research Institute.

Dr Prasanta Dutta, the man behind the process of developing tea wine, thanked his co-scientists Amar Jyoti Tanti, Rafika Begum, Dr Prab nda Bhatta and Dr. Mousumi Madhav. He said the process for commercialization was in the pipeline.

Dr Dutta said tea wine was a new approach of Tocklai Tea Research Institute to set up an initiation in the field of diversified product of Assam tea. Fermentation of different types of tea with a symbolic culture of beneficial microbes in association with different stimulating organic agents that yields tea wine can be consumed for its refreshing and beneficial properties on human health. Different groups of bio-chemical contained in tea such as Flavonoids, Tannins, Catechins, Epicatechins, caffeine, Epigallocatechin, Gallate (EPCG) along with bio-chemicals present in the added organic agents such as Resveratrol, Procyanidins and carbohydrates are beneficial for health.