This chemistry extended essay investigates the rate of degradation of antioxidant activity present in the crude extract of 5 different types of tea: White, Green, Oolong, Black and Pu-erh tea. All of these teas essentially come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, but differ in the production process, which results in the various kinds of tea. A medicinal drink originally from China, tea is now a well-known beverage around the world for its multiple health benefits, one of it being its antioxidant properties. Catechins isa compound present in tea responsible for its antioxidant properties. Light intensity and storage time are factors that oxidizes catechins present in tea, and hence the research question “How is the radical scavenging activity of antioxidants present in the methanolic crude extract of teas (White tea, Green tea, Oolong tea, Black tea and Pu-erh tea) affected when it is subjected to light intensities ranging from 0 to 250 Lux in specified time intervals (0-5 hours)?”

Grade: B