Natural Food Products - Essay Example

Organic food products are labelled to show that they are produced as per the authority of the Organic Foods and Production Act. On the contrary, natural food products are not defined by any criteria or federal laws. Moreover, they are not defined by federal or legal supervision. Consequently, food products that are labelled as natural are composed of fewer chemical additives and preservatives compared to other processed foods. To this end, examples of natural food products include eggs, nuts, fruits, dairy products, vegetables, beans, apples, green tea among many more.

Green tea is classified as a natural food product because it undergoes minimal processing stages. Furthermore, it contains the most natural antioxidant polyphenols. The most evident polyphenols are epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) (The George Mateljan Foundation). Moreover, as a natural food product, it is consistent with an array of ingredients that can consequently be traced back to nature. Evidently, green tea is a herbal extract from green tea leaves also known by the scientific name as Camellia Sinensis. The Camellia Sinensis tree contains distinct flower and herbal infusions known as tisanes.

The tree can grow naturally in the wild and reach heights of up to 30 feet. However, on tree plantations, it is maintained as a shrub with heights of about 3 feet through constant pruning. Evidently, the green tea leaves achieve more flavour in the event that they are grown at higher altitudes. The green tea plants produce rich foliage, a berry and, a flower similar to camellia. In terms of harvest, only the youngest and smallest tea leaves are picked for tea. Moreover, when engaging in discussion pertaining to the green tea ingredients, it is more in recognition of the nutritional value. Consequently, the ingredients of green tea mainly refer to the natural nutrients present within it.

Evidently, polyphenols or catechins are nutritional ingredients in green tea (The George Mateljan Foundation). Polyphenols are vital antioxidant ingredients. Moreover, they are naturally occurring ingredients found within the green tea leaves. Moreover, polyphenols are equally present in vegetables and fruits that grow naturally. Polyphenols are credited with protecting the body from free radical damage. In particular, the polyphenols present in green tea are known as quercetin that is also present in citrus fruits. To this end, quercetin polyphenols are known to relieve people from asthma and allergies.

Green tea also contains other ingredients such as caffeine, theophylline, flavonols or tannin, copper, essential oils, nickel, vitamin C, carotene, vitamins B1, A, B12, P and K, iron, calcium, magnesium, saponins, strontium, zinc, theobromine, wax and fat. Interestingly enough, the quantitative contents of the ingredients depend on the cultivation area of the leaves. To this end, the contents are influenced by the climatic region and altitude of the cultivation area. Furthermore, the quantitative contents are equally influenced by the growth stage of the green tea leaves.

. In terms of processing, the harvested tea leaves are briefly steamed. Thus making them soft, pliable, and protecting them from color change or fermentation. The steaming process is soon followed by rolling the leaves out and spreading them out for drying with a pan-fried in a wok or hot air. This process continues until the leaves are crisp and greenish-yellow tea colour is produced. The resulting flavour is very much closely consistent with the green taste of a fresh leaf. To this end, green tea captures the colour and aroma of spring, taste and the maximum concentration of healthy phytonutrients. Consequently, its distinct natural and beneficial nutrients are portrayed in its advertisement.
Evidently, its advertisement shows that it contains no calories. This further reinforces its natural attribute that shows no evidence of processing additives. Furthermore, the naturally occurring flavonoids that account for almost 30 % of green tea are credited with being beneficial as antioxidant and anticancer agents. To this end, research has shown that a single cup of green tea containing 20-35 mg of EGCG that produces the greatest antioxidant activity.

The minimal processing stages of green tea mean that it has a very limited shelf life. To this end, the indicated shelf life is almost 6 months for unopened green tea packages. On the other hand, once the package is opened its shelf life falls to almost 2-3 months. This limited shelf life is due to the increased risk of oxidation to the green tea leaves which consequently results in its loss of flavour. Another distinctive feature of the packaging is the reseal-able, reflective and reusable plastic packages that block light. The packages are designed to block the entry of air and light that would consequently oxidize the green tea leaves. Green tea leaves are consequently regarded as one of the healthiest and natural food products. Read More