Abstract: A new food resource, chaya was qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed for its polyphenol components. The extraction of polyphenols from the food resource was optimized based on total polyphenol extraction rate. The results indicated that chaya contained tannins, polyphenols and flavonoids, which were 0.49, 2.57 g and 1.29 g in 100 g of fresh chaya leaves, respectively. The optimal extraction conditions for chaya polyphenols that were determined by single-factor and orthogonal array design were: material/liquid ratio of 1:15, extraction temperature of 60 ℃, extraction time of 3 h and ultrasonic treatment time 20 min. Under the condtions, 408 mg of polyphenols was extracted from 100 g of fresh chaya.

Key words: new food resources, chaya, polyphenol, extraction process