酵素 R&D · developing platform
NeoTea is developing a biocatalysis platform to produce L-theanine — the amino acid behind matcha's sweet, savoury character — using food-grade enzymes in a fermentation system. It is the same γ-glutamyl chemistry the tea plant runs, moved into a controlled bioreactor.
旨味 The molecule
L-theanine (chemically N-ethyl-L-glutamine, or γ-glutamylethylamide) is tea's signature amino acid. It is most of the free amino-acid content of good green tea and is what gives high-grade matcha its smooth, brothy, umami sweetness — the opposite of harsh bitterness.
It is prized as a natural ingredient in two ways: as a premium flavour modifier that rounds sweetness and softens bitterness in food and drink, and as a functional-beverage ingredient. It is well tolerated and has a long history of dietary intake as a natural part of tea.
We describe flavour and ingredient function only. NeoTea makes no medical, therapeutic or health claims for L-theanine.
二路 Two routes, one molecule
NeoTea is developing two complementary routes to the same amino acid. They serve different needs — and we keep them clearly separate.
Purified from tea leaves and tea-tree material as part of our upcycling programme. Tea-native and suited to a natural-origin, circular story — but limited by how much leaf is available.
Assembled from simple building blocks by food-grade enzymes in a fermentation system. The same molecule, made consistently and independent of the harvest — for scale, purity and repeatability.
Honest labelling. Enzyme-made L-theanine is chemically identical to the tea-derived molecule, but it is produced by fermentation — so a batch made this way would not be described as "from tea" or "natural from tea". Origin and label claims are set per product and per market.
仕組み How enzymatic synthesis works
Enzymes are nature's catalysts — proteins that make a specific reaction happen quickly and cleanly. Our platform uses the very reaction the tea plant uses to make theanine, run outside the plant in a controlled vessel.
A second, related family of enzymes (the "synthetase" route) instead joins L-glutamate + ethylamine to make L-theanine. That route gives very clean, high conversions but needs an energy cofactor (ATP), so it is paired with an energy-recycling step to stay practical.
A food-safe bacterium (such as E. coli, Bacillus or Corynebacterium) is given the gene for the enzyme and grown so it produces it.
The substrates are fed into water with the enzyme (as whole cells or purified protein). The enzyme joins them into L-theanine.
Cells and by-products are removed and the L-theanine is concentrated and purified toward a defined food grade.
Each batch is analysed for identity and purity against specification before it is released.
In the tea plant, theanine is built mainly in the roots from glutamate and ethylamine, then carried up into the young shoots and leaves where it accumulates. The plant controls the balance with a set of dedicated enzymes — one (CsGGT4) helps build theanine while a close relative (CsGGT2) breaks it back down — tuned by a master-switch protein, CsMYB73.
Our platform reproduces that same γ-glutamyl-transfer chemistry with a microbial enzyme in a bioreactor. It is the same class of reaction — not a claim that the bacterial and plant pathways are identical in every step.
In published pilot-scale research, engineered enzymes and bacteria have produced L-theanine at roughly 40 to over 90 grams per litre — evidence that biotechnological production is technically feasible at meaningful scale. Those are figures from the scientific literature, not NeoTea's own production output.
This is an early-stage R&D and pilot programme. Conversion efficiency, scale-up economics and food-grade regulatory approval are still under evaluation. Descriptions here reflect the target process and its potential, not a claim of current commercial manufacture.
利点 Why this route matters
Production runs in a bioreactor, so supply need not wait on a leaf harvest, a season or the weather.
A single, well-characterised compound targeting consistent purity and batch-to-batch reliability.
Built on established host organisms and standard bioreactor scale-up — a well-trodden industrial format.
A biological route, purified and specified — aiming squarely at food-ingredient grade rather than chemical synthesis.
The transpeptidase route joins the building blocks without an added energy cofactor — a lever on process cost.
Identity and purity are verified for every batch against a written specification.
Each point describes the intended potential of a developing platform, expressed as an R&D goal rather than a delivered result.
応用 Where it goes
Used in small amounts to round sweetness and soften bitterness in premium food and drink formulations.
A characterising ingredient for tea-adjacent and functional drinks, aligned with a clean, natural flavour profile.
A defined-grade amino-acid ingredient for formulators of specialty food and nutrition products.
L-theanine is positioned as a premium flavour-modifying and functional ingredient — not a bulk sweetener. Regulatory status, permitted use levels and origin/label claims are confirmed per market and application. NeoTea makes no medical, therapeutic or disease-related claims.
共創 Co-develop with NeoTea
We're talking with ingredient companies, beverage brands and research partners about pilot supply, specifications and joint development. If a consistent, harvest-independent source of L-theanine fits your roadmap, let's compare notes.