01Product

L-Theanine 98% 98%

At a glance

L-Theanine 98% from Zhicheng Bio — supply summary

Zhicheng Bio supplies bulk L-Theanine 98% (98%), CAS 3081-61-6, shipping from Shanghai, China. This grade is produced to order. Every shipment carries a batch Certificate of Analysis; specification sheet and MSDS are supplied on request. Zhicheng Bio publishes no list price — quotes are issued per quantity and Incoterm by email to zhicheng1@zhicheng-bio.cn.

Supplier: Zhicheng Bio, Shanghai, China
CAS number: 3081-61-6
Molecular formula: C7H14N2O3
Grade / specification: 98%
Availability: Made to order
Documents: Batch CoA with every shipment; spec sheet and MSDS on request
Packing: 25 kg cartons or bags, adjustable
PubChem CID: 439378
How to get a price: Email RFQ to zhicheng1@zhicheng-bio.cn — no list price is published

Cognitive / Relaxation In stock

L-Theanine 98%

98%

CAS 3081-61-6 · C7H14N2O3

Bulk L-Theanine 98% for B2B manufacturing — supplied against your target specification, with documentation your QA can review before anything ships. Pricing below is indicative; send an RFQ for a firm quote, MOQ and lead time.

$13.0 – $14.6 /kg by order volume · indicative, ex-Shanghai

Indicative range — larger volumes price toward the low end. Ingredient markets move weekly; your firm price is confirmed by quotation, typically within one business day.

Category: Cognitive / Relaxation

Availability: In stock

Packing: 25 kg bags, cartons or drums (standard)

Key supply points

Supplied against your target specification — USP / FCC / JP monograph where applicable
Recent batch COA provided with the quotation, before you commit
Consolidates with other SKUs into one shipment out of Shanghai
Third-party lab verification available pre-shipment on request

Documentation with every batch

COA per batchSpec SheetMSDS / SDSExport docs

Third-party lab verification can be arranged pre-shipment on request. Certificates of origin, non-GMO or allergen statements per destination-market requirements.

Request COA & Quote Use the RFQ form

Shipping & Lead Time

Estimate freight for this product

In stock

Destination region Quantity (kg)

Air FreightFast

Transit: —
Est. freight *: —
Total door-to-port: —

Sea LCLValue

Transit: —
Est. freight *: —
Total door-to-port: —

Request Exact Quote

Documentation-first

COA per batch, Spec Sheet and MSDS — reviewed by your QA before anything ships.

Ready-stock depth

Multi-tonne inventory on core SKUs, plus 28 actives held in our US warehouse in Los Angeles for domestic delivery.

Certified supply chain

Sourced from audited, certified manufacturers — ISO, HACCP, Halal & Kosher available.

Flexible export

25 kg bags, cartons or drums; FOB / CIF / DDP by lane, sea or air consolidation.

02Identity & properties

Identity & properties

Compound identifiers and physical properties for this material. The binding version is always the Specification Sheet and batch COA issued with your quotation.

CAS No.	3081-61-6
Molecular Formula	C7H14N2O3
Molecular Weight	174.20
EINECS	221-379-0
Synonyms	L-Theanine, N5-ethyl-L-glutamine, gamma-glutamylethylamide, L-glutamic acid gamma-ethylamide, Suntheanine (a trademark of Taiyo, not this material)
Appearance	White crystalline powder; odourless, with a slightly sweet and astringent taste
Solubility	Very freely soluble in water — soluble in 2.6 parts of water at 0 °C and 1.8 parts at 100 °C (i.e. roughly 380 g/L cold and 550 g/L hot). Insoluble in ethanol and ether.

03Specifications

Specifications

Typical parameters below — the binding version is the Specification Sheet and batch COA we send with your quotation.

Parameter	Specification	Test method
Assay (L-theanine)	98% (as offered) — confirm basis and method	HPLC (to be confirmed)
pH (1% aqueous solution)	5-6	Potentiometric
D-theanine / enantiomeric purity	—	Chiral HPLC
Residual solvents	—	GC headspace
Assay (as-is / dried basis)	—	Titration or HPLC per the applicable monograph
Appearance	—	Visual
Identification	—	IR / specific optical rotation per monograph
Specific optical rotation	—	Polarimetry
Loss on drying	—	Gravimetric
Residue on ignition / sulphated ash	—	Gravimetric
Chloride	—	Per monograph
Sulphate	—	Per monograph
Iron	—	Per monograph
Other amino acids / related substances	—	TLC or HPLC per monograph
Heavy metals (Pb / As / Cd / Hg)	—	ICP-MS or per monograph
Microbiology (TAMC / TYMC / E. coli / Salmonella)	—	USP <61>/<62> or equivalent

A dash means we have no fixed limit to publish for that parameter: it is reported on the batch COA and the limit is agreed with your QA. We would rather leave it blank than invent a number. Full physical, chemical, heavy-metal and microbiological parameters are listed in the Specification Sheet — sent with every quotation.

04Formulation & handling notes

Formulation & handling notes

The practical points our technical team raises with buyers of this material — the things that decide whether a batch behaves in your process.

Theanine's aqueous solubility is exceptional and is the reason it disappears so easily into clear beverages: soluble in 2.6 parts of water at 0 °C and 1.8 parts at 100 °C — on the order of 380 g/L cold. It will not be the limiting ingredient in any drink, gummy syrup or shot.

It is insoluble in ethanol and ether, so a hydro-alcoholic tincture will not carry it — an important difference from many botanicals it gets blended with.

A 1% solution sits at pH 5-6, which is close to neutral and unusually well behaved for a beverage. Unlike citrulline malate it will not acidify a formulation and unlike arginine base it will not alkalise one.

The taste is genuinely a formulation asset rather than a liability: described as slightly sweet in FDA's GRAS assessment and as astringent and sweet in the flavour literature. At typical 100-250 mg doses it needs no masking, in contrast to the BCAAs.

Chemically it is the gamma-ethylamide of L-glutamic acid — a substituted glutamine analogue. That means an amino-acid analytical method may or may not resolve it from glutamine and glutamic acid; a theanine-specific HPLC method is what your QA should be asking for.

The enantiomer question is commercially real. Only the L form is the tea constituent covered by the FDA GRAS notices; synthetic routes can produce DL-theanine, which is cheaper and analytically invisible to a non-chiral assay. Specify a D-isomer limit.

Melting is reported at 217-218 °C, which is comfortable for gummy and confectionery processing, though the practical stability question in a hot, moist gummy slurry is hold time rather than peak temperature.

05Applications

Applications

B2B manufacturing use only — no finished-product or health claims.

Relaxation, focus and sleep-support formulations

Theanine-plus-caffeine 'smart caffeine' blends

Functional beverages, RTDs and instant drink powders

Capsules, tablets and gummies

Chocolate and confectionery inclusions

06Regulatory status by market

Regulatory status by market

Status of the raw material, stated as conservatively as our sources allow. This is supply-chain information, not regulatory advice — confirm the position for your finished product and destination market with your own regulatory counsel.

Market	Status	Basis
United States	Two GRAS notices for L-theanine have closed with 'FDA has no questions' letters: GRN 209 (notifier Taiyo International, closed 5 February 2007) for use as an 'ingredient in several food categories up to 250 milligrams per serving'; and GRN 501 (notifier Zhejiang Tianrui Chemical Co., Ltd., letter dated 10 September 2014) for chemically synthesised L-theanine 'as an ingredient in foods'. A GRAS notice is specific to the notifier's substance and use — it is not transferable to another manufacturer's material without an equivalence assessment.	FDA GRAS Notice Inventory GRN 209 and GRN 501
European Union	L-theanine's EU status needs to be established for the intended use — the key question is whether the material and use fall within the Novel Food Regulation (EU) 2015/2283.	Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 (novel foods); EU Novel Food Catalogue
China	Status as a nutrient fortification substance / food additive under Chinese national standards to be confirmed. Theanine is a recognised tea constituent in China; the relevant question is whether the isolated ingredient requires a new-food-ingredient (新食品原料) approval for the intended category.	GB 14880-2012 (nutrient fortification substances), GB 2760 (food additives), and NHC new-food-ingredient announcements
Japan	No JP XVIII Official Monograph for this substance was located.	JP XVIII

07Selected research

Selected research

Peer-reviewed literature on this compound, with linked identifiers so you can read the primary source rather than take our word for it.

These references are listed for scientific context only. They describe published research on the compound; they are not claims about this raw material and not claims about any finished product. Zhicheng Bio makes no medical, health or performance claims.

In a randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover, double-blind trial in healthy adults, L-theanine administration was examined for effects on stress-related symptoms and cognitive function. Hidese S, Ogawa S, Ota M, Ishida I, Yasukawa Z, Ozeki M, Kunugi H. Nutrients. 2019;11(10):2362. PMID 31623400 DOI 10.3390/nu11102362 Source
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 50 randomised controlled trials in healthy participants reported small-to-moderate differences between theanine plus caffeine and placebo for cognition, mood and sleep outcomes across the subset eligible for meta-analysis. Payne ER, Aceves-Martins M, Dubost J, Greyling A, de Roos B. Nutr Rev. 2025;83(10):1873-1891. PMID 40314930 DOI 10.1093/nutrit/nuaf054 Source
In 27 healthy volunteers, 50 mg caffeine with 100 mg L-theanine improved both speed and accuracy on an attention-switching task at 60 minutes and reduced susceptibility to distracting information in a memory task at 60 and 90 minutes, compared with placebo. Owen GN, Parnell H, De Bruin EA, Rycroft JA. Nutr Neurosci. 2008;11(4):193-198. PMID 18681988 DOI 10.1179/147683008X301513 Source
A systematic review examined trials of L-theanine consumption in relation to the management of stress and anxiety levels. Williams JL, Everett JM, D'Cunha NM, et al. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2020;75(1):12-23. PMID 31758301 DOI 10.1007/s11130-019-00771-5 Source

08Packing, storage & lead time

Packing, storage & lead time

Standard packing	25 kg bags, cartons or drums
Private packing	Custom packing & labeling available for regular customers
Storage	Cool, dry place, sealed in original packaging
Lead time	In stock
Shipping	Sea or air consolidation out of Shanghai · FOB / CIF / DDP by lane

09Procurement FAQ

Procurement FAQ

01Is this L-theanine or DL-theanine?

L, and it is worth insisting on documentation. Synthetic routes can produce the racemate, which a standard non-chiral assay will read as 98% pure theanine. Ask us for the manufacturer's D-isomer limit and the chiral method used — only the L form is the tea constituent covered by the FDA GRAS notices.

02Does your material carry its own GRAS status in the US?

Two L-theanine GRAS notices have closed with FDA 'no questions' letters — GRN 209 (Taiyo, 2007, up to 250 mg per serving) and GRN 501 (Zhejiang Tianrui, 2014, chemically synthesised, as a food ingredient). A GRAS notice belongs to the notifier's substance and use, so tell us who your material must be equivalent to and we will get the manufacturer to address it.

03Enzymatic or chemically synthesised?

Ask, because the answer changes what should be on your specification. Chemical synthesis brings residual-solvent and enantiomeric-purity questions; enzymatic or fermentation routes bring different ones. We will get the route stated in writing and the matching impurity limits into the spec sheet.

04How does it behave in a clear beverage?

Very well. It dissolves at roughly 380 g/L in cold water, gives a pH 5-6 solution at 1%, and tastes slightly sweet with a mild astringency — so no masking is normally needed at 100-250 mg per serving. It will not carry in an alcohol-based liquid, though.

05Is 98% the highest grade available?

98% minimum is the standard bulk grade and is what we hold (about 350 kg in ready stock). If you need a higher assay or a tighter enantiomeric specification for a pharmaceutical or clinical-trial application, tell us the target and we will go back to the manufacturer.

06What is the MOQ for L-Theanine 98%?

MOQ is quote-based and flexible. Tell us your target quantity in the RFQ — for core in-stock SKUs we can usually accommodate both trial orders and multi-tonne volumes.

07Can I get a sample of L-Theanine 98% before ordering?

Yes — samples are available on request for evaluation and lab verification. Mention it in your RFQ and we will confirm the arrangement.

10Related