Preparation and Application Progress of Tea Polyphenol Composite Films

MIN Yue; YANG Chen; LIN Yanping; CHENG Bei

doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2026.05.013

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Journal of Tea Science ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (5) : 790-806. DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2026.05.013

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Preparation and Application Progress of Tea Polyphenol Composite Films

MIN Yue, YANG Chen^*, LIN Yanping, CHENG Bei

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Abstract

Tea polyphenols are rich in phenolic hydroxyl groups, and possess excellent antioxidant and antibacterial activities, making them suitable for use as natural active additives in the fabrication of biodegradable composite films. In this paper, the physicochemical properties of tea polyphenols, mainstream preparation techniques of composite films (solution casting, electrospinning, layer-by-layer self-assembly, etc.) and their application advances in fruit preservation as well as the storage of meat and aquatic products were reviewed. It was demonstrated that the lipid oxidation and protein deterioration of fresh foods could be effectively inhibited by tea polyphenol composite films, and the shelf life was markedly prolonged. However, several drawbacks were found in such films: uneven release of active components, easy structural failure under high humidity, weak interlayer bonding force and relatively high preparation cost. It was suggested that future studies could integrate arti ficial intelligence calculation, molecular simulation and machine learning and that a formula database of tea polyphenol composite films could be created to enable targeted and precise design of the films and promote iterative upgrading of packaging materials for fresh food preservation.

Key words

tea polyphenols / physicochemical properties / composite films / preparation methods / fresh food preservation

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MIN Yue, YANG Chen, LIN Yanping, CHENG Bei. Preparation and Application Progress of Tea Polyphenol Composite Films[J]. Journal of Tea Science. 2026, 46(5): 790-806 https://doi.org/10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2026.05.013

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