{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T13:18:01Z","timestamp":1785417481623,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]],"date-time":"2026-07-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784073600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania"},{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/031d5vw30","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Green tea supplements (GTSs) are a favorite among the general population and, due to their methylxanthine (caffeine, theobromine, theophylline) content, might represent a potential ergogenic source in athletes\u2019 performance. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a method that quantifies the methylxanthine content of commercially available GTSs and to evaluate their potential relevance for ergogenic use. An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection and a QDa mass detector (UHPLC\u2013PDA\u2013QDa) method was developed, validated and applied to determine the content of methylxanthines in seven commercially available GTSs. Method validation parameters demonstrated satisfactory performance, with rapid and efficient separation and quantification of the three methylxanthines. Considerable variability was observed among the analyzed products, with caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline contents ranging from 0.37 to 12.13, 0.07 to 3.59, and 0.05 to 0.83 mg\/capsule, respectively. However, the methylxanthine amounts measured in the analyzed products were below the doses commonly associated with ergogenic effects. Overall, the developed UHPLC\u2013PDA\u2013QDa method provided a reliable approach for methylxanthine quantification, while the seven products analyzed did not represent meaningful ergogenic sources of these compounds.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15142504","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,16]],"date-time":"2026-07-16T01:05:07Z","timestamp":1784163907000},"page":"2504","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Methylxanthine Content in Green Tea Supplements: UHPLC Quantification, Method Validation, and Implications for Ergogenic Dosing in Athletes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8258-6989","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iulia-Alexandra","family":"Paliu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rare\u015f Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Florin-Liviu","family":"Gherghina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rare\u015f Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4715-1423","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrei","family":"Bi\u0163\u0103","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Drug Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rare\u015f Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Pharmacognosy & Phytotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rare\u015f Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"George","family":"Bic\u0103","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rare\u015f Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-3923-0018","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cornelia","family":"Bejenaru","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Drug Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rare\u015f Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rare\u015f Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-1778-7011","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ludovic Everard","family":"Bejenaru","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Drug Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rare\u015f Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Pharmacognosy & Phytotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rare\u015f Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6338-9277","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"George Dan","family":"Mogo\u015fanu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Drug Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rare\u015f Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Pharmacognosy & Phytotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rare\u015f Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrei-Adrian","family":"Tica","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rare\u015f Street, 200349 Craiova, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1186\/s12970-019-0294-7","article-title":"Prevalence, knowledge and attitudes towards using sports supplements among young athletes","volume":"16","author":"Jovanov","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. 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