Chemistry research to improve quality for sustainable development of the Kenya Tea Industry: tea processing 

Abstract

Kenya projects to be agloballycompetitive and prosperous country witha highqualityof lifeby2030 through the achievement of Vision 2030 objectives. The Vision aims attransforming Kenya into“anewly- industrializing,middleincomecountry providing ahigh quality of life to all its citizens in a clean and secure environment”.TheVision is anchored on three key pillars:Economic;Social;and Political Governance. The economic pillar aims to achieve an economic growth rate of 10%per annum and sustaining the same till 2030. Agriculture and manufacturing are among the six key sectorsexpected to deliverthe 10%economicgrowthrate perannumunderthe economicpillar. It is hoped an innovative,commercially-oriented,andmodern agriculturalsector shall be promoted. One way of achieving this is through increasing productivity (quantity and quality) of crops and crop products.Kenyaaimsto have a robust,diversified,and competitivemanufacturing sector, achieved through there structuring key local industries that use local raw materials and exploiting opportunities in value addition to local agriculturalproduce, while maintaining a clean, secure and sustainable environment. In part chemists can contribute to the achievement of these objectives through upgrading quality and value of Kenyan industrial crops through chemistry. The major industrial crops that Kenya produces include tea, coffee, sugarcane, pyrethrum, coconut, oil crops (sunflower, cottonseed, soya, groundnuts, rapeseed, bambara nuts, castor, palm oil, sim-sim, linseed, nuts, grains, beans, seeds (e.g. sesame), maize germ, copra and olives), cashew nut, fibre crops (sisal and cotton) and tobacco. The value of these agricultural crops can be enhanced through proper processing techniques guided by chemical principles to improve quality. An over view of past efforts to improve the quality of black tea in Kenya during processing is presented.