| Summary: | Standard analysis of black tea processed in the Province of Misiones, Argentina, evaluate its intrinsic characteristics -color, flavor, fragrance and stringency- acquiring a commercial classification in result of it. Biological or chemical contamination can alter the quality of the raw material. Fungal growth during processing and storage is one of the possibilities. The sub-tropical climate of the region and the mainly manual processing of tea favors it. Due to the broad variety of fungal genera able to contaminate plants and the absence of previous evaluation in the literature regarding black tea, we have analyzed the contaminant fungi present in regional tea, sowed and during processing in a pilot plant under controlled conditions of temperature and relative humidity. The total fungal count of green leaves showed an average value about 35 X 103 CFU/g. It continuously descended during processing, reaching a final value of 6 X 103 CFU/g during storage of black tea.
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Chemical qualities of black tea of Misiones-Argentina and a derived product (bt) for exportation