Abstract: Tea is one of the typical Al-accumulating plants. Tea infusion is a widely consumed beverage, so tea drinking is the major source of dietary Al intake. This paper reviews published studies on the concentration, form and bioavailability of Al in tea infusion. In general, the total concentration of Al in tea infusions is in the range 1~6βmg/L, probably more than 90% of this Al is organic form. The distribution of Al form in infusion is changeable with time. Investigations indicated that the main forms existed in tea infusion included polyphenolic complexes, Al oxalate, Al fluoride, Al³⁺ and its hydrolysate etc. Tea drinking could moderately increase the Al excretion in urine, however, it does not seem that the Al present in tea is much more bioavailable than that from other dietary sources. At the same time, it also cannot be dismissed that tea infusions may contain particularly some bioavailable and neurotoxic compounds such as Al maltolate.

Key words: Tea infusion, Al form, Bioavailability