The separation and preparation of theasinensins have been hot spots in the field of tea chemistry in recent years. However, information about the mechanism of efficient adsorption of tea theasinensins by resin has been limited. In this study, the adsorption equilibrium and thermodynamics of tea theasinensins by a high-efficiency macroporous adsorption HP20 resin were evaluated. The adsorption of theasinensin A, theasinensin B, and theasinensin C on HP20 resin were spontaneous physical reaction processes. Adsorption processes were exothermic processes, and lowering the temperature was beneficial to the adsorption. The Freundlich model was more suitable to describe the adsorption of tea theasinensins. The adsorption equilibrium constant and maximum adsorption capacity of theasinensin A were significantly higher than theasinensin B and theasinensin C, which indicated that the adsorption affinity of theasinensin A was stronger than that of theasinensin B and theasinensin C. The phenolic hydroxyl groups and intramolecular hydrogen bonds of theasinensin A were more than those of theasinensin B and theasinensin C, which might be the key to the resin’s higher adsorption capacity for theasinensin A. The HP20 resin was very suitable for efficient adsorption of theasinensin A.

Although tea catechins in green tea and green tea beverages must be stable to deliver good sensory quality and healthy benefits, they are always unstable during processing and storage. Ascorbic acid (AA) is often used to protect catechins in green tea beverages, and AA is easily oxidized to form dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA). However, the function of DHAA on the stability of catechins is not clear. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of DHAA on the stability of catechins and clarify the mechanism of effects by conducting a series of experiments that incubate DHAA with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) or catechins. Results showed that DHAA had a dual function on EGCG stability, protecting its stability by inhibiting hydrolysis and promoting EGCG consumption by forming ascorbyl adducts. DHAA also reacted with (−)-epicatechin (EC), (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), and (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC) to form ascorbyl adducts, which destabilized them. After 9 h of reaction with DHAA, the depletion rates of EGCG, ECG, EC, and EGC were 30.08%, 22.78%, 21.45%, and 13.55%, respectively. The ability of DHAA to promote catechins depletion went from high to low: EGCG, ECG, EGC, and EC. The results are important for the processing and storage of tea and tea beverages, as well as the general exploration of synergistic functions of AA and catechins.