At present there is heightened demand for beverages that functionally improve human well-being. Wheat and wheat derivatives are excellent sources of nutrients and bioactive phytochemicals including phenolic compounds, dietary fiber, gamma amino butyric acid, and amino acids. Generally, wheat flour has been used extensively in baking and confectionery production, and wheat germ, and bran are byproducts that can be used to fortify some foods. However, limited attention has been paid to the use of wheat and wheat derivatives for beverage production. Our study therefore aimed to fill this gap by comprehensively exploring various aspects of wheat beverages. This review scrutinizes the use of wheat and wheat derivatives in beverage preparation, including processing methods, sensory perception, and biological properties, and also sheds light on the challenges and future perspectives of the wheat beverage industry. Our study offers valuable insight into the use of wheat for the design of functional, nonalcoholic plant-based beverages.

Tea is a typical processed beverage from the fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] or Camellia assamica [Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Mast.) Kitamura] through different manufacturing techniques. The secondary metabolites of fresh tea leaves are mainly flavan-3-ols, phenolic acids, purine alkaloids, condensed tannins, hydrolysable tannins, saponins, flavonols, and their glycoside forms. During the processing, tea leaves go through several steps, such as withering, rolling, fermentation, postfermentation, and roasting (drying) to produce different types of tea. After processing, theaflavins, thearubigins, and flavan-3-ols derivatives emerge as the newly formed compounds with a corresponding decrease in concentrations of catechins. Each type of tea has its own critical process and presents unique chemical composition and flavor. The components among different teas also cause significant changes in their biological activities both in vitro and in vivo. In the present review, the progress of tea chemistry and the effects of individual unit operation on components were comprehensively described. The health benefits of tea were also reviewed based on the human epidemiological and clinical studies. Although there have been multiple studies about the tea chemistry and biological activities, most of existing results are related to tea polyphenols, especially (-)-epigallocatechin gallate. Other compounds, including the novel compounds, as well as isomers of amino acids and catechins, have not been explored in depth.