Abstract

RECYCLING OF TEA WASTE FOR EXTRACTION OF CAFFEINE AND PRODUCTION OF A TRANSDERMAL PATCH

Zaka Khan, Shivani Kakkar, Saurabhi Ghag, Shruti Shah, Sonali Patil and Annika Durve Gupta*

Abstract

Caffeine is used in wide range of pharmaceutical formulations andbeverages (Cola Drinks), Ayurvedic medicines and in some confectionery.In the present work, a simple, fast and low cost procedure forextraction of caffeine from waste tea leaves, from various sources, wascarried out. TLC analysis was carried out for the detection of caffeine.HPLC and FTIR analysis were performed for quantification and characterizationof the extracted caffeine. Antibacterial activity of caffeinewas checked against Gram Negative Bacteria. An attempt has beenmade to create a transdermal patch using easily available material. Furtherparameters have to be modified to make an effective caffeine delivering patch. This study showed that tea waste could be utilized for production of valuableproducts using nontoxic solvents and substances at extremely short extraction periods.

Keywords: Caffeine, TLC, HPLC, Antibacterial activity, FTIR, Transdermal patch.