**5. The beneficial effects of Chungtaejeon**

Tea is one of the most popular beverage that is produced from the tea plant, *Camellia sinensis* (L.) O. Kuntze and is consumed as green, black, Oolong and postfermented tea in different parts of the world. The beneficial effects of green tea such as cancer, heart disease, and liver disease are related to catechins [16]. Black tea has made promising pharmacological effects such as growth promoter, cardioprotector, potent cholesterol-lowering effect, antioxidant and antimicrobial, etc. in humans for various compounds such as flavonoids (Thearubigins and theaflavins and catechins), amino acid (L. theanine), phenolic acids (gallic acid and caffeic acid etc.), vitamins, etc. [17]. The Chungtaejeon is post-fermented tea that is produced in Korea by microorganisms. Chemical analysis of it demonstrated the presence of tannins, flavonoids, glycosides, vitamins, polysaccharides, and volatile oils [18]. Also, Chungtaejeon possessed strong antioxidative effects and effectively inhibited the cytokine that induces proliferation. Furthermore, it prevents migration of human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC) by restraining the protein expression and enzymatic action of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-9) [19].

The dominant bacteria, catechins and gallic acid contents during Chungtaejeon marking process are analyzed from raw leaves to product. The catechin content decreased from 12.10 to 3.80 mg/g, and epicatechin (EC) and gallic acid contents were increased to 28.50 and 8.02 mg/g, respectively, during manufacturing (**Figure 3**). Microorganism oxidizes phenolic compounds of tea and leads to considerable loss of the catechins and formation of the theaflavins, thearubigins, theabrownins and gallic acid [4–7, 13–15]. Our results are similar to decreased catechin content and increased gallic acid content during manufacturing and fermentation. Lee et al. [20] also report that levels of EC, ECG, EGCG, quinate, caffeine and sucrose decreased, whereas gallate and glucose levels increased during tea fermentation. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) content was the highest of 90.2 ± 16.1 mg/g for catechins (**Figure 6**). EGCG was the major catechin among all tea varieties, accounting for about half of the total catechins. Epigallocatechin-3 gallate is the ester of epigallocatechin and gallic acid. EGCG in tea, which is made to green tea, white tea and fermented tea, is a polyphenol under basic research for its potential to affect human health and disease such as dietary supplements. The catechins such as EGCG most changed to gallic acid during fermentation into puer tea [4–7, 12, 14, 15]. The most important pharmacological properties of gallic acid are attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials [12].

*Pantoea agglomerans* has been concerned to decompose polyphenol tannic acid and gallic acid [4–6, 15]. It may perform an important role for manufacturing and fermentation into gallic acid from catechins of Chungtaejeon (**Figures 3** and **6**). The gallic acid is the most common member of phenolic acids. Gallic acid or 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid is one of the most abundant phenolic acids in the plant kingdom such as black tea and post-fermented tea products. The edible use of gallic acid and its ester derivatives is on diverse scientific reports on biological and pharmacological activities of these phytochemicals for antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, cardioprotective, gastroprotective and neuroprotective effects [21]. Also, gallic acid and its derivatives demonstrated a broad range of beneficial effects in prevention and/or management of several disorders, also their acceptable

#### **Figure 6.**

*Catechins, gallic acid and caffeine contents after forming of Korean traditional post-fermented tea (mg/g). Forming time (4.29), 1 day (4.30), 2 days (5.1), 3 days (5.2). 5 days (5.3), 7 days (5.5), 8 days (5.7), 9 days (5.8) and 10 days (5.9). EC (epicatechin), ECG (epicatechin gallate), EGC (epigallocatechin), EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate).*

#### *The Characteristics of Korean Traditional Post-Fermented Tea (Chungtaejeon) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.91855*

safety and stability profiles, making them significant options to be introduced as dietary supplements [22] like *Camellia sinensis*. Black tea also contains gallic acid.

Black tea has many kinds of biological compounds such as flavonoids [thearubigins (TRs) and theaflavins (TFs) and catechins, amino acid (L. theanine), vitamins (A, C, K), phenolic acids (caffeic acid (CA), gallic acid (GA), chlorogenic acid (CGA) and carbamic acid], lipids, proteins, volatile compounds, carbohydrates, β-carotene and fluoride that are illustrated as having many promising pharmacological effects as growth promoter and cardioprotector, having potent cholesterol-lowering effect, and being antioxidant and antimicrobial for humans [17]. However, Chungtaejeon can be suggested to have beneficial effect in the prevention of atherosclerosis [8, 10, 11, 17–20, 22, 23]. It prevents the risk of atherosclerosis in rats fed a high-fat atherogenic diet *in vivo and vitro* [23]. The chemical composition of tea leaves consists of tanning substances, flavonols, alkaloids, amino acids, enzymes, aroma-forming substances, vitamins, minerals and trace elements contained in theaflavins (TFs), thearubigins (TRs) and theabrownins (TBs) needed to analyze during manufacturing and fermentation of Chungtaejeon and needed to reveal molecular level such as pharmacological value and therapeutic properties for human health in the future.
