Study: Matcha with Strawberries Is Good for You

Simian Practicalist
6 hours ago
3 min read

A Saudi study by N.A.M. Aleid et al titled “Synergistic enhancement of matcha tea with strawberry (Qassim region) aqueous extracts: influence of extraction temperature on phytochemicals, vitamin C, and bioactivities” published on 11 May 2026 demonsrates that the mix can improve its health benefits.

The paper is 18 pages, with the main text at about 15 pages. The remaining are references.

Both matcha and strawberries are known for their health benefits, such as being a source of antioxidants and having anti-inflammatory properties, and this study aims to investigate mixing the two. The study compares matcha (MT) with a blend of 85% matcha and 15% strawberry powder (ST) at three brewing temperatures: 5 °C for 12 hours (T1), 70 °C for 5 minutes (T2), and 100 °C for 5 minutes (T3).

In short, by brewing the two together at an elevated temperature, a higher yield of some compounds was detected. There are, however, other compounds that yielded little increase or were inhibited by strawberries.

For example, caffeic acid (CaA) and cinnamic acid (CiA) yielded little increase across both blends, whereas gallic acid (GaA) decreased with the presence of strawberries at 70 °C and 100 °C. A few other observations are listed below. Also see Figure 4 reproduced at the bottom.

To maximize total phenolic yield: “brewing at 100 °C is recommended for both MT and ST; however, the addition of strawberry powder provides a consistent boost, with the most pronounced synergistic effect occurring at 70 °C.”
To maximize total flavonoid content: “brewing the strawberry–matcha blend at 100 °C is optimal, yielding an 11.2% enhancement over pure matcha.”
Catechins showed the most increase, which “demonstrates that the acidic pH (∼3.7) of ST not only improves extraction but also protects catechin from thermal degradation”. At 70 °C, MT and ST were 2109.08 μg/g and 2631.18 μg/g respectively. At 100 °C, MT and ST were 1584.33 μg/g and 2042.11 μg/g respectively.
“Strawberry substitution consistently enhanced activity, attributable to the fruit’s anti-inflammatory constituents, including anthocyanins (pelargonidin-3-glucoside), ellagic acid, flavonols, and phenolic acids, which modulate NF-κB pathways and inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines. The greatest absolute enhancement at 70 °C suggests efficient co-extraction of strawberry and matcha bioactives, while the relative enhancement at 100 °C (+74.5% at 500 μg/mL) indicates that strawberry components may partially protect heat-sensitive catechins or contribute thermostable anti-inflammatory compounds.”
Whilst vitamin C content was increased by strawberries, it decreases sharply as temperature increases since ascorbic acid breaks down at higher temperatures. Therefore, “[c]old brewing at 5 °C is unequivocally the optimal method for preserving vitamin C”.

So, it seems mixing strawberries with matcha can be beneficial but the brewing temperature matters depending on what one wants to get out of it.

For maximum antioxidant intake, brewing the strawberry–matcha blend at 100 °C is recommended, as this condition yields the highest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities (80.21 and 81.34%, respectively) and maximizes catechin recovery. When the goal is to achieve anti-inflammatory benefits, preparation at 70 °C is optimal, achieving 85.52% inhibition of protein denaturation. To preserve heat-labile nutrients such as vitamin C and anthocyanins, cold brewing at 5 °C is essential, providing concentrations 2.5-fold higher than those precise temperature control to deliver targeted health benefits.