Chemical composition, sensory qualities, and pharmacological properties of primary leaf hawk tea as affected using different processing methods

Hawk tea (HT), made from the leaves of Litsea coreana Levl. var. lanuginosa, is a traditional Chinese herbal tea. Different processing methods alter the chemical composition of the HT, which changes the sensory qualities and pharmacological properties. The chemical composition, sensory qualities, antioxidant activities, and potential hepatoprotection (ameliorating acute alcoholic liver damage using a mouse model) of pan-fried (PFHT), sun-dried (SDHT), and fermented hawk tea (FHT) were investigated. PFHT had the highest level of phenolics and flavonoids, followed by SDHT and FHT. The highest levels of total and floral/fruit-like volatiles were observed in FHT, which had the highest overall sensory acceptance using a consumer panel. The PFHT and SDHT showed stronger antioxidant activity than FHT. The HT aqueous extracts showed similar hepatoprotective effects in the mouse model, among which PFHT aqueous extracts were the most effective in suppressing hepatic steatosis. PFHT showed the highest health-promoting value with the highest yield of aqueous extracts and the best protective effects against alcoholic liver damage.