LDL / WATER DISPERSIBLE STEROL/STANOL ENRICHED POLYPHENOL RICH HERBAL TEAS IN AQUEOUS OR POWDERED FORMS TO REDUCE TOTAL AND LDL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS

摘要

The present invention relates to a process for the production of an aqueous or powdered herbal tea product comprising a polyphenol-rich herbal tea extract and a hydrophobic plant sterol / stanol having improved water insolubility. The process comprises dispersing or suspending a hydrophobic plant sterol in a medium for the emulsification of an aqueous polyphenol-enriched herbal tea extract or a water and emulsifier mixture to be blended with an after-tea extract, and causing the resulting mixture to have a high shear force, To produce fine particles having a particle size of 30 탆 or less, preferably 10 탆 or less, substantially along a bell curve distribution. Optionally, the process may require heating, but heating is preferably pasteurisation to prevent microbial decay. Thus, the process may require one or more heating steps, which may be applied before or after homogenization, or by heating together. In a further embodiment, this aqueous homogeneous dispersion, predominantly comprising plant sterol and herbal tea extracts, is spray dried or lyophilized or vacuum dried to yield a water-dispersible sterol-enhanced powder tea. Plant sterol-enriched herbal tea extracts and their dried forms may be used in the manufacture of medicaments or nutritional products and beverages and in the medical application of such products.