Recent Advances in Sensing Strategies for the Detection and Discrimination of Tea Polyphenols

Abstract

Tea polyphenols largely determine tea quality, flavor, and health benefits. Reliable detection of these compounds is therefore critical for quality control and process optimization. This review categorizes current sensing strategies into four types: optical, electrochemical, spectroscopic/nondestructive, and sensor arrays. These platforms differ in transduction mechanisms, sensitivity, and practical utility. Optical and electrochemical methods respond rapidly but are vulnerable to matrix effects. Spectroscopic techniques allow non-destructive analysis; their limitation lies in model generalizability across different instruments and sample sets. Sensor arrays, particularly when paired with machine learning, show strong potential for distinguishing structurally similar catechins and tracing tea origin and authenticity. Finally, the future development trends and potential application scenarios of tea polyphenols detection are discussed.