"I used to find pure tangerine peel tea a bit bitter, and I was worried about its single conditioning effect. But this new tea is not only sweet and mild in taste, but also can strengthen the spleen, remove dampness and aid digestion at the same time—it's perfect for office workers like us who sit for a long time!" Recently, a spleen-strengthening and dampness-removing compound tea with Xinhui tangerine peel as the core ingredient has completed its research and development. Its unique formula design and industrialized preparation process have brought a new breakthrough to the market of medicinal and edible teas, and the relevant technical scheme has now entered the patent application stage.

Addressing Pain Points of Traditional Tangerine Peel Tea, Achieving Efficacy Upgrade Through Multi-Ingredient Synergy

For a long time, tangerine peel has been a popular medicinal and edible ingredient among the public due to its effects of regulating qi and strengthening the spleen. However, traditional tangerine peel tea has three major pain points: "single function, poor taste, and low dissolution rate of effective components". "Brewing pure tangerine peel can only exert part of its qi-regulating effect, and its conditioning effect is limited for the common 'spleen deficiency + excessive dampness' constitution of modern people," said the person in charge of the R&D team. Many consumers have reported that pure tangerine peel tea has an obvious bitter taste, and people with deficient and cold spleen and stomach may experience discomfort after drinking it. Moreover, the traditional brewing method can only dissolve the components on the surface, with the utilization rate of core active substances such as hesperidin and volatile oil being less than 50%.

To solve these problems, the R&D team conducted numerous proportioning tests and finally determined the core formula of "tangerine peel + poria cocos + hawthorn + licorice". "Xinhui tangerine peel is responsible for regulating qi and strengthening the spleen, Yunnan white poria cocos enhances the effect of removing dampness, stir-fried hawthorn solves the problem of food stagnation caused by spleen deficiency, and Inner Mongolia licoricn deficiency, and Inner Mongolia licorice harmonizes the taste and reduces irritation. The combination of these four ingredients achieves a synergistic effect of '1+1+1+1>4'," the person in charge explained. To meet the needs of people who need to control sugar intake, the team also used fructo-oligosaccharides as a sweetener, which not only improves palatability but also promotes the proliferation of intestinal probiotics, making the tea healthier while conditioning the body.

Innovative Technology Improves Component Utilization, Industrial Production Solves the Dilemma of "Niche Customization"

In addition to the formula innovation, the preparation process of this tea also has its unique "secrets". Different from the traditional simple brewing method, the R&D team adopted an industrialized process of "stage extraction + low-temperature drying + vacuum concentration": first, the tangerine peel is dried at 60-65°C, crushed, and the crude fiber impurities are removed; then, the active components are extracted twice—first with purified water at 85-90°C for 1.5 hours, and then at 75-80°C for 1 hour. Through temperature gradient control, heat-sensitive components such as volatile oil and poria cocos polysaccharides are retained to the greatest extent; finally, the product is made into powder or tea bags through vacuum concentration and spray drying.

"Tests have shown that this process can increase the dissolution rate of hesperidin in tangerine peel by more than 40% and the dissolution rate of poria cocos polysaccharides by 35%, which is much higher than that of the traditional brewing method," said the R&D personnel. Industrial production not only solves the problems of "difficult standardization and short shelf life" of traditional hand-made tea but also extends the shelf life of the finished product to 18 months. Both the tea bags and instant powder are easy to store and transport, laying a foundation for large-scale market promotion.

Focusing on Public Health Needs, the Future of Medicinal and Edible Teas Is Promising

It is understood that this spleen-strengthening and dampness-removing tangerine peel compound tea is mainly aimed at people with weak spleen and stomach and excessive dampness, especially office workers who sit for a long time and middle-aged and elderly groups. "We have conducted a small-scale trial drinking, and more than 90% of the participants reported that the taste is sweet and mild. After drinking for 1-2 weeks, the discomfort symptoms such as abdominal distension and fatigue were significantly relieved," the person in charge emphasized. All raw materials of the tea meet the requirements of the "Catalogue of Medicinal and Edible Substances (2023 Edition)" and are food-grade products. It is recommended to drink 1-2 bags (3g per bag) per day. However, pregnant women, lactating women, and diabetic patients should drink it under the guidance of a doctor.

With the continuous upgrading of consumers' demand for healthy drinks, the market of medicinal and edible teas has gradually become a new trend. The R&D of this spleen-strengthening and dampness-removing tangerine peel compound tea not only provides the public with a better healthy choice but also offers new ideas for industry innovation. "In the future, we will also develop more segmented types of compound teas according to the needs of people with different constitutions, so that traditional medicinal and edible ingredients can better serve public health with the support of modern technology," the person in charge said.