Recent advances on the beneficial use and health implications of Pu-Erh tea

Pu-Erh tea (PET) is a fully fermented tea cultivated in the Yunnan Province of China. It is widely appreciated and consumed as the healthful beverage. In vivo, in vitro and clinical studies have suggested the health benefits of PET for a variety of hypolipidemic, antiobesity, antimutagenic, antioxidative, antitumor, free radical scavenging and toxicity suppressing activities. Many of these beneficial impacts are related to its bioactive compounds, particularly theabrownin and gallic acid. However, there are some scientific evidences underlying the risk of pathological abnormalities associated with the high doses of PET extracts. Confirming the assertion, this paper presents a state of art review of PET, its tasting, sensory evaluation and aroma characterization. The key advances of its wide implications in the adsorption engineering, toxicological, pharmacological and medical science development are laconically elucidated. Furthermore, the challenges and future prospects for the integration of PET practice are outlined. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.