Bokuchava Mikheil

Mikheil Bokuchava (February 1, 1910, the village of Sabokuchavo, Abasha municipality – February 12, 1995, Moscow) was a biochemist. He was a full member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences (1979), a Doctor of Biological Sciences (1950), and a professor (1955).

He graduated from Tbilisi Agricultural Institute (1932). He was the head of the Anaseuli Biochemical Laboratory (1937-1939). Since 1953, he served as the head of the Technical Biochemistry Laboratory at the Institute of Biochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His main research focused on the biochemistry and properties of tea. He developed new technological methods for the production of Lao tea, black tea, and instant tea. His works include: "Investigation of the Fermentation of Tea Leaves" (1938), "Biochemical Basis of the Production of Lao Tea and Green Agura Tea" (1955), and "Biochemistry of Tea and Tea Production" (1958). He also developed an original method for obtaining food plant dyes, which was patented in foreign countries.

He received several state awards.

Literary works: ჩაის წარმოების ბიოქიმია და ტექნოლოგია, თბ., 1962; The chemistry and biochemistry of tea manufacture, «Advances in Food Research», 1969, [v.] 17.

T. Pichkhia