Chapter 1
Yerba Mate Tea, a Traditional South
American Beverage. An Introduction
Abstract This chapter concerns the traditional use of a peculiar plant—Ilex
paraguariensis—diffused in South America, and widely present in four countries of
this area: Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. This plant is used for centuries
because of different claimed properties, in form of beverage (infusion), under the
following names: mate, chimarrão, and tererê. The interest in these infusions depends
on the global diffusion of these products while the origin of I. paraguariensis is in
the South American area. On the one side, this plant and his infusions are known
because of different pharmacological effects against common illnesses. On the other
side, different processing methods mainly based on drying and grinding steps are
able to modify notably sensorial and chemical properties of sold products. The analysis of historical traditions linked with yerba mate can be useful when speaking of
different topics including regional or national differences, authenticity and traceability issues on a global scale. Consequently, a deep analysis of the current market
and new marketing perspectives should be recommended.
Keywords Authenticity · Ilex paraguariensis · Cultural heritage · Yerba mate ·
Chimarrão · South America · Polyphenols · Tererê
Abbreviations
EU
European Union
FNCF
Federazione Nazionale dei Chimici e dei Fisici
FBO
Food Business Operator
GI
Geographical Origin
INYM
Instituto Nacional de la Yerba mate
MERCOSUR Mercado Común del Sur
MSME
Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
RASFF
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed
EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
C. Iommi, Chemistry and Safety of South American Yerba Mate Teas,
Chemistry of Foods, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69614-6_1
1
Yerba Mate Tea, a Traditional South
American Beverage. An Introduction
Abstract This chapter concerns the traditional use of a peculiar plant—Ilex
paraguariensis—diffused in South America, and widely present in four countries of
this area: Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. This plant is used for centuries
because of different claimed properties, in form of beverage (infusion), under the
following names: mate, chimarrão, and tererê. The interest in these infusions depends
on the global diffusion of these products while the origin of I. paraguariensis is in
the South American area. On the one side, this plant and his infusions are known
because of different pharmacological effects against common illnesses. On the other
side, different processing methods mainly based on drying and grinding steps are
able to modify notably sensorial and chemical properties of sold products. The analysis of historical traditions linked with yerba mate can be useful when speaking of
different topics including regional or national differences, authenticity and traceability issues on a global scale. Consequently, a deep analysis of the current market
and new marketing perspectives should be recommended.
Keywords Authenticity · Ilex paraguariensis · Cultural heritage · Yerba mate ·
Chimarrão · South America · Polyphenols · Tererê
Abbreviations
EU
European Union
FNCF
Federazione Nazionale dei Chimici e dei Fisici
FBO
Food Business Operator
GI
Geographical Origin
INYM
Instituto Nacional de la Yerba mate
MERCOSUR Mercado Común del Sur
MSME
Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
RASFF
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed
EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
C. Iommi, Chemistry and Safety of South American Yerba Mate Teas,
Chemistry of Foods, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69614-6_1
1