Supply Food grade natural green tea extract L-theanine

Tea originated in China and tea drinking began in China. With the development of world trade, tea has also been popularised globally, and to this day, tea beverages have become one of the top three beverages in the world. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised a conditional health claim in 2012 for green tea and reduced cancer risk.It was in the early 19th century that the composition of tea became clearer. After modern scientific isolation and identification, tea contains more than 450 organic chemicals and more than 40 inorganic minerals.In 1950, the Japanese scholar Yajiro Sakado isolated a non-protein amino acid, named L-theanine , from green tea as the main substance that produces the flavour. L-theanine s in tea are all left-handed, and according to the nomenclature, they are recorded as ‘L- L-theanine ’. For a long time, the main concern in tea has been tea polyphenols , which are considered to be the main bioactive substances in tea. In recent years, with increasing research, L-theanine  has received increasing attention, particularly for its effects on emotional health, and it is one of the ingredients receiving attention as an ingredient in dietary supplement ingredients in the U.S. Data from major U.S. distribution channels in 2021 showed that L-theanine  reached more than $57 million in sales under the Sleep Health catalogue, representing an increase of 179. percent relative to 2020. 6%. Below we will introduce the market size, raw material sources, efficacy claims, and safety, which will hopefully give readers an understanding of L-theanine  as an ingredient.

In terms of the source of the L-theanine raw material, chemical synthesis is the mainstay, followed by biofermentation and tea leaf extraction.

L-theanine  sales in the sleep health catalogue under the hypermarket channel reached $57.36 million, representing a growth of 179.6% from 2020. In the emotional health catalogue under the retail channel, sales reached $3.41 million, a growth rate of 10.0% relative to 2020, as shown in the figure below.

The above market data speaks volumes about the increasing use of L-L-theanine in sleep health and emotional well-being. Consumers are also increasingly favouring plant-based products, all of which will drive further expansion of L-theanine in the dietary supplement market. Meanwhile, with further research, the addition of L-theanine to beverages will become more common.

2. Raw Material Source of L-Theanine

Currently the US FDA has approved three Generally Recognised as Safe Substances (GRAS) ingredients for L-theanine, as follows:

(1) GRN No. 209 - Enzymatically synthesised L-theanine

The US FDA approved in February 2007 the L-theanine from Taiyo, Japan. The application materials for the GRN show a use level and scope of 250 mg/serving for fruit juices and beverages, non-herbal teas, sports beverages, specialty bottled water, chocolate bars and chewing gum, hard candies and mints, and chewing gum. The filing indicates that the starting materials for the production of L-theanine are food-grade L-glutamine and ethylamine, which are also precursors for the biosynthesis of L-theanine from tea tree roots.

(2) GRN No. 339- L-theanine  from Tea Extracts .

In May 2010, the US FDA approved L-theanine  from tea extracts of Blue California. From its GRAS application materials, it can be seen that L-theanine  is extracted from green tea and then isolated and purified to obtain.

(3) GRN No. 501 - chemically synthesised theanine

In February 2014 the US FDA approved the chemically synthesised L-theanine . As can be seen from its GRAS filing, the starting materials for the synthesis are L-glutamic acid and ethylamine, with pure water and ethanol as reaction solvents. After decolourisation by activated carbon, filtration, passing through an ion exchange resin, and then centrifugal elution with ethanol, the crude L-Theanine is obtained, which is dried, crushed, mixed, and gold checked, and is obtained after passing the test and being put into storage.

In this application material, the product quality is also compared with the previous two GRAS applications, from which it can be seen that the quality standard is consistent with that of L-theanine obtained by biosynthesis in Japan. We will not list them here.

In summary, there are three main sources of L-theanine: biosynthesis, extraction from green tea and chemical synthesis. The quality standards of L-theanine from all three sources are relatively similar, with a slight difference in the spin and pH of L-theanine from green tea extract and synthetic sources.

3. Natural L--Theanine Effects: 

L-theanine is a water-soluble molecule with rapid intestinal absorption after oral administration.L-theanine is co-transported with Na+ from the intestinal brush border. It has also been reported that L-theanine is carried by a methionine carrier transport system in the intestine. Absorbed L-theanine is transported through the bloodstream to the major organs of the body, primarily the brain. It can then be excreted directly in the urine or hydrolysed and broken down in the kidneys to glutamate and ethylamine, which are then also excreted in the urine

1. Promote relaxation and improve sleep

Under normal circumstances, the epidermis of the brain has a, β , δ and θ waves that determine the mental state, and the a wave of the brain is especially regarded as a sign of relaxation. Some studies have shown that after 40 minutes of oral administration of L-Theanine (50-200mg), a-waves appear in the occipital and parietal regions of the brain and cause relaxation without inducing a sleep state.A study by Song et al. in 2002 found that people with high levels of anxiety who took 200mg of L-Theanine for 40 minutes had an increase in a-wave activity in the frontal and occipital regions. There have been a number of studies showing that L-theanine can reduce stress and acute states of stress

2.Cardiovascular health effects

The effects of L-theanine on cardiovascular health may be as follows .

L-Theanine reduces 5-hydroxyindole levels and blood pressure in the brain.L-Theanine relaxes vascular smooth muscle when mixed with catechins.

L-theanine can alter neurotransmitter levels in the brain, which can benefit cardiovascular system health.

L-theanine also increases the production of NO in the blood vessels.L-theanine reduces the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins.

4.Safety of L-L-theanine

It is safe to take large doses of L- L-theanine  in the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labelled the estimated daily intake of dietary L- L-theanine  at 628 mg per person, with 90% of the population consuming 1,284 mg/day per person. Therefore, in 2011, the FDA recommended that the daily intake of L- L-theanine  should not exceed 1,200 mg per day.The results of acute and subacute toxicity and mutagenicity tests conducted by the Japan Food Additives Association (JFAS) indicate that L- L-theanine  is considered to be reliable. At present, the JFDA does not set a dietary intake limit for L- L-theanine .

Meanwhile, the GRAS application for L- L-theanine  approved in the USA shows that the LD50 of L- L-theanine  is >5000 mg/kg, indicating that it is of non-toxicity class for oral administration.

A subacute (28-day) study yielded the only test dose of oral NOAEL, 2000 mg/kg-bw/day. In a 13-week subchronic dietary study, rats were given 1500, 3000, or 4000 mg/kg-bw/day, and no toxic effects were observed at any dose with a NOAEL of 4000 mg/kg-bw/day. There was also no evidence of carcinogenicity of L-theanine  in a 78-week rat chronic toxicity study, and genetic analyses showed it to be non-mutagenic. These data and studies indicate that L- L-theanine  has an excellent safety profile.