Yerba Mate is a popular tea beverage produced and consumed in the South American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile,
Paraguay, and Uruguay, and is processed from the leaves and stems of
Ilex paraguariensis
A. St.-Hil., a perennial shrub
from the Aquifoliaceae family. Production occurs in six stages: harvesting older leaves and small stems, roasting by direct
fire, drying under hot air, milling to specified size, aging to acquire optimal sensory attributes, and final packaging. While
grown and consumed for centuries in South America, its popularity is increasing in the United States because of demand
by consumers for healthier, more natural foods, its filling a niche for a different type of tea beverage, and for Yerba
Mate's potential health benefits—antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiobesity, anti-diabetic, digestive improvement, stimulant,
and cardiovascular properties. Cultivation, production and processing may cause a variation in bioactive compounds
biosynthesis and degradation. Recent research has been expanded to its potential use as an antimicrobial, protecting crops
and foods against foodborne, human and plant pathogens. Promising results for the use of this botanical in human and
animal health has prompted this review. This review focuses on the known chemical composition of Yerba Mate, the effect
of cultivation, production and processing may have on composition, along with a specific discussion of those compounds
found in Yerba Mate that have antimicrobial properties.
