Journal of Tea Science Research, 2024, Vol.14, No.1, 57-63 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/jtsr 62 From a consumer health perspective, the ability to control caffeine content in tea through microbial fermentation could cater to individuals sensitive to caffeine or those seeking low-caffeine alternatives for health reasons. Additionally, the production of theophylline, a compound with therapeutic applications, as a byproduct of caffeine degradation, presents potential health benefits and commercial opportunities. In summary, the microbial-mediated caffeine degradation pathways in tea fermentation have significant implications for the tea industry and consumer health. The potential for creating customized tea products with desired caffeine levels and the possibility of producing health-beneficial compounds like theophylline could drive innovation and offer new avenues for tea consumption and application. Funding This work was supported by the Annual R&D Fund of Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology (grant No. 2024003). Acknowledgements We would like to thank Dr. Y. Zhou for his careful reading of this manuscript and for his revisions and polishing of the text. We are also grateful to the two anonymous peer reviewers for their serious and rigorous academic comments, which have greatly improved the quality of the paper. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Babu V., Patra S., Thakur M., Karanth N., and Varadaraj M., 2005, Degradation of caffeine by Pseudomonas alcaligenes CFR 1708, Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 37: 617-624. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ENZMICTEC.2005.03.022 Chakravorty S., Bhattacharya S., Chatzinotas A., Chakraborty W., Bhattacharya D., and Gachhui R., 2016, Kombucha tea fermentation: Microbial and biochemical dynamics, International journal of food microbiology, 220: 63-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2015.12.015 Gokulakrishnan S., Chandraraj K., and Gummadi S., 2007, A preliminary study of caffeine degradation by Pseudomonas sp. GSC 1182, International Journal of Food Microbiology, 113(3): 346-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJFOODMICRO.2006.07.005 Gross G., Jacobs D., Peters S., Possemiers S., Duynhoven J., Vaughan E., and Wiele T., 2010, In vitro bioconversion of polyphenols from black tea and red wine/grape juice by human intestinal microbiota displays strong interindividual variability, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 58(18): 10236-10246. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf101475m Gummadi S., and Santhosh D., 2006, How induced cells of Pseudomonas sp. increase the degradation of caffeine, Central European Journal of Biology, 1: 561-571. https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-006-0032-4 Hakil M., Denis S., Viniegra-González G., and Augur C., 1998, Degradation and product analysis of caffeine and related dimethylxanthines by filamentous fungi. Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 22(5): 355-359. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0141-0229(97)00205-6 He S., Qiao X., Zhang S., Xia J., Wang L., and Liu S., 2023, Urate oxidase from tea microbe Colletotrichum camelliae is involved in the caffeine metabolism pathway and plays a role in fungal virulence, Frontiers in Nutrition, 9: 1038806. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.1038806 Lee H., Jenner A., Low C., and Lee Y., 2006, Effect of tea phenolics and their aromatic fecal bacterial metabolites on intestinal microbiota, Research in microbiology, 157(9): 876-884. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.RESMIC.2006.07.004 Li X., Ahammed G., Li Z., Tang M., Yan P., and Han W., 2016, Decreased biosynthesis of jasmonic acid via lipoxygenase pathway compromised caffeine-induced resistance to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides under elevated CO2 in tea seedlings, Phytopathology, 106(11): 1270-1277. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-12-15-0336-R Ma C., Li X., Zheng C., Zhou B., Xu C., and Xia T., 2021, Comparison of characteristic components in tea-leaves fermented by Aspergillus pallidofulvus PT-3, Aspergillus sesamicola PT-4 and Penicillium manginii PT-5 using LC-MS metabolomics and HPLC analysis, Food chemistry, 350: 129228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129228
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