ARE COMMERCIALLY PACKED GREEN TEA SAMPLES OF HIGHERQUALITY THAN UNPACKED ONES? A COMPARATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL,BIOACTIVITY, AND CHEMOMETRIC ANALYSIS

Green tea, derived from the unfermented leaves of C. sinensis var.sinensis, is a widely consumed beverage known for its therapeutic benefits.But unfortunately, tea is among the top ten easily adulterated foods.The current study conducted for the first time in Pakistan aimed to compare the adulteration level, phytochemical composition and therapeutic benefits of commercially available packed and unpacked green tea samples.The results showed no adulteration with sand or leather flakes in any of the samples, but colour adulteration was more prominent in packed samples.There was no significant difference in the sugar content between unpacked and packed samples.Quantitative phytochemical analysis revealed no significant difference in TPC and TFC; however, unpacked samples had significantly higher TAC compared to packed samples.Antioxidant activity was moderate for unpacked samples and weak for packed ones.Mineral analysis showed no presence of toxic heavy metals (Pb and Cd) and no significant difference in mineral content (Zn, Fe, and Cu) between the two sample types.Both sample types showed weak antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae at 500g/mL but no activity against Staphylococcus aureus.Chemometric analysis indicated that unpacked samples exhibited greater overall variance.In conclusion, unpacked green tea samples demonstrated better quality, with higher antioxidant potential and less colour adulteration.