1. Spatial changes in leaf biochemical profile of two tea cultivars following cold storage under two different vapour pressure deficit (VPD) conditions.
- Author
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Collings ER, Carmen Alamar M, Redfern S, Cools K, and Terry LA
- Subjects
- Caffeine metabolism, Catechin analogs & derivatives, Catechin metabolism, Theobromine metabolism, Camellia sinensis chemistry, Camellia sinensis metabolism, Cold Temperature, Food Storage methods, Plant Leaves metabolism, Vapor Pressure
- Abstract
Withering is considered a crucial stage of black tea processing. In this study, tea shoots from two cultivars (cvs. Yabukita and Clone 2) were stored at 5 °C, in either a low or high vapour pressure deficit (VPD) environment, to determine the impact of different withering rates on physiology (viz. respiration rate [RR], colour and moisture loss) and biochemical profile (viz. individual catechins, methylxanthines) of tea shoots (Camellia sinensis). Low VPD and high VPD conditions during withering increased caffeine levels in Clone 2 and Yabukita, respectively (p < 0.05). Caffeine levels steadily increased over time in both cultivars (p < 0.05), coinciding with a rapid decline in theobromine (TB). Furthermore, stems contained lower epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and caffeine (ca. 75 and 56%, respectively) compared to bud and larger leaf (LL) (p < 0.05). Overall, the results of this study highlight factors such as mechanical harvesting, and hard or soft withering, which could affect final tea beverage quality., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2019
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