How To Brew The Perfect Cup Of Tea: Microwave It

Food scientist Dr. Quan Vuong, who works at the University of Newscastle on the New South Wales Central Coast, focuses on finding ways to maximize value in natural products by extracting bioactive compounds with antioxidant volume. One of his studies, completed in 2012, resurfaced interest across ABC Radio and Twitter Monday night.

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Dr. Vuong's study revealed putting black and green teas to brew in the microwave activated 80 percent of the caffeine, theanine and polyphenol compounds, while also generating the best taste. He suggested people follow three steps: Put hot water in the cup with teabag, place in the microwave for 30 seconds on half power and let it sit for a minute, ABC reported Monday.

Theanine can be found in tea, other plants and mushrooms and is a vital amino acid which promotes relaxation. Polyphenols, which are antioxidants, have also been connected in studies to good health components such as lowered cardiovascular disease and lower cholesterol.

However, an uproar on Twitter arose after the news appeared in Twitter Moments. British users reminisced when a T.V. series actor microwaved his tea on an episode of Broadchurch and tweeted with disgust.

Following the study of tea, Dr. Vuong has studied if bioactive compounds in other food products could be activated by being heated in a microwave. Among his investigations, he found that microwaving the leftover skin, pulp and seeds after a lemon is squeezed heightened the phenolic content and antioxidant activity.

"Lemon or apple pomace which is coming from the food factories, they still have antioxidants, so if we can recover the benefits from this waste, we can make more functional food products," Dr. Vuong said on ABC Central Coast.