Driven by downstream industries such as sleep aid, stress relief and other products, and the huge demand created by pandemic, L-theanine will become popular in 2021. Now let's re-understand L-theanine.
L-theanine benefits
L-theanine powder is a characteristic non-protein amino acid in tea. Since it was isolated and identified, there have been endless international studies on its application in the fields of medicine and health. Some studies have shown that it has anti-oxidation, anti-aging, and strengthening properties. Physiological activity functions such as immunity, relaxation of nervous tension, anti-fatigue and lowering blood pressure.
Physical and chemical properties
High-purity L-theanine is a white or off-white powder, easily soluble in water, and the aqueous solution is slightly acidic, with caramel aroma and MSG flavor, insoluble in ethanol and ether.
Production status
The production methods of L-theanine include natural extraction, chemical synthesis, biosynthesis and plant cell culture methods. The L-theanine powder prepared by the extraction method only accounts for 1% to 2% of the dry tea, and the extraction cost is very high. Chemical synthesis is the preferred method, which can produce relatively cheap L-theanine on a large scale. In recent years, the enzymatic synthesis technology of L-theanine has developed rapidly, and microbial fermentation has become an important method for the production of theanine.
Global Market
In 2018, the global L-theanine production market was 725.09 tons, valued at 42.96 million U.S. dollars. China was the world’s largest consumer of L-theanine in the past few years, accounting for about 43.31% of the global market in 2018, followed by North America. About 22.98%. China is also the largest producer, with a production share of nearly 75% in 2018.
In 2018, the consumption of theanine in food and beverages was 483.93 tons, accounting for 66.74% of the theanine consumption, the consumption of medical products was 195.85 tons, and the consumption of the pharmaceutical industry was 64.94 tons.
Product application of L-theanine
L-theanine powder is used as an additive in many applications, such as food and beverage industries, health products that relieve fatigue, improve learning and memory, and drugs (such as anticancer drugs and antihypertensive drugs). Some manufacturers' chocolate contains theanine, which is used to gradually replace alcoholic and carbonated beverages. At present, only tea theanine (20% content) can be added to food in the domestic market.
