Phenolic Acids and Flavonoids in Tea Processed from Flowers of Black Elder (Sambucus nigra L.) Stored in Different Packing Materials

Summary The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of cultivar, packing material and storage time on the content of phenolic acids and flavonoids in elderflower tea (ET) processed from flowers of the black elder (Sambucus nigra) cultivars ‘Sampo’, ‘Sambu’ and ‘Samyl’. ET was processed by placing elderflowers in a thin layer on nylon screens in woody frames placed in a cool room and dried using a dehumidified air flow above and below the nylon screens for 96 h at 5 °C. The yield of ET for the cultivars ‘Sampo’, ‘Sambu’ and ‘Samyl’ were 12.8 %, 15.7 % and 8.9 %, respectively. A clear significant difference in the content of polyphenols was found between ET processed from the three cultivars. The total content of phenolic acids was significant higher in ‘Samyl’ (41.3 mg g –1 ET) compared to ‘Sampo’ (33.8 mg g–1 ET) and ‘Sambu’ (34.0 mg g–1 ET). ‘Sambu’ had the lowest content of flavonoids (25.7 mg g–1 ET), whereas the highest content was found in ‘Sampo’ (33.5 mg g –1 ET). ET samples were