Study of the aroma formation and transformation during the manufacturing process of oolong tea by solid-phase micro-extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry combined with chemometrics

Characterizing volatile metabolites in raw Pu'er tea stored in wet-hot or dry-cold environments by performing metabolomic analysis and using the molecular sensory science approach

The aroma profile of raw pu'er tea (RPT) depends on its storage duration (2-10 years) and storage conditions (wet-hot or dry-cold environment). We analyzed the major odorants of RPT samples by performing metabolomic analysis and by using the molecular sensory science approach. Under dry-cold storage conditions, tea leaves had more carotenoid derivatives, glycoside-derived volatiles, and phenolic volatiles, resulting in "fresh," "floral," and "sweet" aroma. Under wet-hot storage conditions, tea leaves had more methoxybenzenes, which contributed considerably to their "stale" and "woody" aroma. We identified 11 and 4 compounds as the odor markers of RPTs when stored in dry-cold and wet-hot environments, respectively. Our findings provide a scientific basis for optimal storage that yields the desired aroma profile.

Yellow Tea Stimulates Thermogenesis in Mice through Heterogeneous Browning of Adipose Tissues

SCOPE

Large-leaf yellow tea (YT) exhibits interesting beneficial metabolic effects in previous studies. Here, the authors elucidated the actions of YT on thermogenesis, energy metabolism, and adipocyte metabolic conversion.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Five-week-old male C57BL/6 mice are fed low-fat diet, high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD supplemented with 0.5% or 2.5% YT. After treatment for 10 or 14 weeks, YT enhances energy expenditure, O2 consumption and CO2 production. YT strongly boosts thermogenic program in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), while only weakly in epididymal adipose tissue (EAT). These are accompanied by higher body temperature, increased mitochondrial copy numbers, and upregulation of thermogenic genes (Ucp1, Pgc1α, etc.) and proteins. The classic brown adipocyte markers (Eva1, Zic1) are induced only in BAT, while beige adipocyte markers (Tbx1, Tmem26) are boosted only in SAT. Furthermore, subcutaneous-originated preadipocytes are induced by YT in vitro to differentiate to brown-like adipocytes - a browning effect.

CONCLUSION

Dietary YT induces adaptive thermogenesis through increasing mitochondrial biogenesis in EAT, inducing beigeing in SAT and enhancing browning in the BAT.

Differences of characteristic aroma compounds in Rougui tea leaves with different roasting temperatures analyzed by switchable GC-O-MS and GC × GC-O-MS and sensory evaluation

Roasting, an important process to refine Wuyi Rock tea, could impart different types of aroma to the final products. This study focuses on the differences in aroma characteristics among three kinds of refined teas, named light fire (LF), moderate fire (MF), and high fire (HF). A combination of solid phase microextraction (SPME) and a switchable system between GC-O-MS and GC × GC-O-MS was utilized to identify the odorants. In total, 97 aroma-active compounds could be smelled at the sniffing port, comprising alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, heterocycles, and terpenes. However, only 52 obtained r-OAV >1. Significant differences were uncovered by the application of principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares regression (PLSR). Thereby, MF and HF had a more similar aroma profile, while in LF samples, alcohols, aliphatic aldehydes and some ketones were responsible for the aroma profile, such as (E,E)-2,4-hexadienal, octanal, hexanal, (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal, (E)-β-ionone, 3-octen-2-one etc. Strecker aldehydes had a great impact on the aroma of MF, including 2-methylpropanal, 2-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanal etc. Some N-heterocyclic compounds also affected the overall aroma, for instance, 6-methyl-2-ethylpyrazine. In HF, the majority of aroma compounds increased with increasing roasting temperature, especially N-heterocyclic compounds as well as furfural and 5-methyl-2-furancarboxaldehyde, which are all closely related to the Maillard reaction. Besides, 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethenyl)-4-hexen-1-ol, trans-linalooloxide and 2-nonanone also remarkably influenced the aroma of HF. In addition, it was supposed that most amino acids that participated in the Maillard reaction during roasting were decomposed from the compounds that combined with tea polyphenols and amino acids.

Identification and similarity analysis of aroma substances in main types of Fenghuang Dancong tea

Fenghuang Dancong tea covers the oolong tea category and is widely acknowledged for its unique floral and honey flavor. In order to characterize the volatile components in nine different aroma types of Fenghuang Dancong tea, the Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC- MS) were employed. In addition, the similarity analysis and cluster analysis (CA) were performed to compare the aroma characteristics and establish the correlation between the nine types of teas. The principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) method were employed to determine the volatile components with a high contribution to the overall aroma of each type of tea. The results presented a total of 122 volatile aroma components including 24 kinds of alcohol, 23 kinds of esters, 15 kinds of olefins, 12 kinds of aldehydes, 12 kinds of ketones, 13 kinds of alkanes and 23 kinds of other components from the nine types of Fenghuang Dancong tea. Of these volatile aroma components, 22 types were common with linalool, dehydrolinalool, linalool oxide I, linalool oxide II, etc. The similarity of the nine types of Fenghuang Dancong tea was found between 46.79% and 95.94%. The CA indicated that the nine types of Fenghuang Dancong tea could be clustered into four categories when the ordinate distance reached to 10. The PCA demonstrated that decane, octadecane, 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethylheptane, dehydrolinalool, geraniol and nerol were the important aroma components to Fenghuang Dancong Tea. OPLS-DA proved that 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethylheptane, dehydrolinalool, phenylacetaldehyde, nerolidol, linalool oxide I and hexanal were the key differential compounds between the various types of tea samples. This study provides a theoretical basis for characterizing the volatile aroma components in the main types of Fenghuang Dancong tea as well as the similarity and correlation between various types of Fenghuang Dancong tea.

Applicability of multifunctional preprocessing device for simultaneous estimation of spreading of green tea, withering of black tea and shaking of oolong tea

BACKGROUND

Preprocessing technologies of fresh tea leaves have a great influence on tea quality. A multifunctional preprocessing device for tea raw materials has been designed and utilized as a novel item of equipment to synchronously meet the process needs of spreading of green tea, withering of black tea and shaking of oolong tea.

RESULTS

The preprocessing parameters of fresh tea leaves for spreading of green tea, withering of black tea and shaking of oolong tea were optimized by orthogonal experiments. Sensory assessment combined with statistical tools was employed as an analytical method to evaluate the pretreatment effect of processing different sorts of tea. The range analysis and variance analysis of tea sensory evaluation combined with chemical components (total polyphenols, free amino acids and soluble sugar) showed that A₃ B₂ C₃ (70%, 25 °C, 8 h), A₁ B₃ C₁ (60%, 28 °C, 18 h) and A₁ B₁ C₃ (5 min, 20 °C, discontinuous leaf turning c) were considered to be the optimum schemes for the best pretreatment conditions of the above three major processing types of tea, respectively. The verification experiment of the proposed schemes was performed with satisfactory performance.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that a multifunctional preprocessing device for fresh tea leaves can be successfully applied to simultaneously estimate spreading of green tea, withering of black tea and shaking of oolong tea. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Genome-wide investigation and transcriptional analysis of cytosine-5 DNA methyltransferase and DNA demethylase gene families in tea plant (Camellia sinensis) under abiotic stress and withering processing

DNA methylation is a highly conserved epigenetic modification involved in many biological processes, including growth and development, stress response, and secondary metabolism. In the plant kingdom, cytosine-5 DNA methyltransferase (C5-MTase) and DNA demethylase (dMTase) genes have been identified in some plant species. However, to the best of our knowledge, no investigator has focused on the identification and analysis of C5-MTase and dMTase genes in tea plants (Camellia sinensis) based on genome-wide levels. In this study, eight CsC5-MTases and four dMTases were identified in tea plants. These CsC5-MTase genes were divided into four subfamilies, including CsMET, CsCMT, CsDRM and CsDNMT2. The CsdMTase genes can be classified into CsROS, CsDME and CsDML. Based on conserved domain analysis of these genes, the gene loss and duplication events occurred during the evolution of CsC5-MTase and CsdMTase. Furthermore, multiple cis-acting elements were observed in the CsC5-MTase and CsdMTase, including light responsiveness, phytohormone responsiveness, stress responsiveness, and plant growth and development-related elements. Then, we investigated the transcript abundance of CsC5-MTase and CsdMTase under abiotic stress (cold and drought) and withering processing (white tea and oolong tea). Notably, most CsC5-MTases, except for CsCMT1 and CsCMT2, were significantly downregulated under abiotic stress, while the transcript abundance of all four CsdMTase genes was significantly induced. Similarly, the same transcript abundance of CsC5-MTase and CsdMTase was found during withering processing of white tea and oolong tea, respectively. In total, our findings will provide a basis for the roles of CsC5-MTase and CsdMTase in response to abiotic stress and the potential functions of these two gene families in affecting tea flavor during tea withering processing.

Dynamics of ADH and related genes responsible for the transformation of C6-aldehydes to C6-alcohols during the postharvest process of oolong tea

Aroma is an important index of tea quality. The volatile C6-compounds formed from linoleic and linolenic acids in tea leaf lipids are essential components of tea. C6-compounds are formed and transformed during the postharvest process of tea leaves. However, the metabolic flux of these C6-compounds, the activities of related enzymes, and the transcription of related genes during the postharvest process of oolong tea remain unclear. In this study, the chemical profiles of C6-aldehydes and C6-alcohols, the pattern of ADH enzyme activity, and the level of CsADH gene expression during the postharvest process of oolong tea were investigated. We found that the turnover process had a positive effect on the accumulation of C6-alcohols and simultaneously induced ADH activity, especially during the withering stage. The expression of CsADH peaked during the turnover stage. The relative expression level of CSA019598 typically increased during the postharvest process. Correlation analysis demonstrated that CSA019598 expression increased as ADH activity increased. This finding suggests that CSA019598 may play a prominent role in regulating ADH. These results advance our understanding of C6-compound formation during the postharvest process of oolong tea. We aim to evaluate how green leaf volatiles affect the enzymatic formation and genetic transcription of aromatic compounds in oolong tea in future studies.

Changes in Tea Plant Secondary Metabolite Profiles as a Function of Leafhopper Density and Damage

Insect herbivores have dramatic effects on the chemical composition of plants. Many of these induced metabolites contribute to the quality (e.g., flavor, human health benefits) of specialty crops such as the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). Induced chemical changes are often studied by comparing plants damaged and undamaged by herbivores. However, when herbivory is quantitative, the relationship between herbivore pressure and induction can be linearly or non-linearly density dependent or density independent, and induction may only occur after some threshold of herbivory. The shape of this relationship can vary among metabolites within plants. The tea green leafhopper (Empoasca onukii) can be a widespread pest on tea, but some tea farmers take advantage of leafhopper-induced metabolites in order to produce high-quality "bug-bitten" teas such as Eastern Beauty oolong. To understand the effects of increasing leafhopper density on tea metabolites important for quality, we conducted a manipulative experiment exposing tea plants to feeding by a range of E. onukii densities. After E. onukii feeding, we measured volatile and non-volatile metabolites, and quantified percent damaged leaf area from scanned leaf images. E. onukii density had a highly significant effect on volatile production, while the effect of leaf damage was only marginally significant. The volatiles most responsive to leafhopper density were mainly terpenes that increased in concentration monotonically with density, while the volatiles most responsive to leaf damage were primarily fatty acid derivatives and volatile phenylpropanoids/benzenoids. In contrast, damage (percent leaf area damaged), but not leafhopper density, significantly reduced total polyphenols, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and theobromine concentrations in a dose-dependent manner. The shape of induced responses varied among metabolites with some changing linearly with herbivore pressure and some responding only after a threshold in herbivore pressure with a threshold around 0.6 insects/leaf being common. This study illustrates the importance of measuring a diversity of metabolites over a range of herbivory to fully understand the effects of herbivores on induced metabolites. Our study also shows that any increases in leafhopper density associated with climate warming, could have dramatic effects on secondary metabolites and tea quality.

Chemistry and Biological Activities of Processed Camellia sinensis Teas: A Comprehensive Review

Tea is a typical processed beverage from the fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] or Camellia assamica [Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Mast.) Kitamura] through different manufacturing techniques. The secondary metabolites of fresh tea leaves are mainly flavan-3-ols, phenolic acids, purine alkaloids, condensed tannins, hydrolysable tannins, saponins, flavonols, and their glycoside forms. During the processing, tea leaves go through several steps, such as withering, rolling, fermentation, postfermentation, and roasting (drying) to produce different types of tea. After processing, theaflavins, thearubigins, and flavan-3-ols derivatives emerge as the newly formed compounds with a corresponding decrease in concentrations of catechins. Each type of tea has its own critical process and presents unique chemical composition and flavor. The components among different teas also cause significant changes in their biological activities both in vitro and in vivo. In the present review, the progress of tea chemistry and the effects of individual unit operation on components were comprehensively described. The health benefits of tea were also reviewed based on the human epidemiological and clinical studies. Although there have been multiple studies about the tea chemistry and biological activities, most of existing results are related to tea polyphenols, especially (-)-epigallocatechin gallate. Other compounds, including the novel compounds, as well as isomers of amino acids and catechins, have not been explored in depth.

LC-MS-Based Metabolomics Reveals the Chemical Changes of Polyphenols during High-Temperature Roasting of Large-Leaf Yellow Tea

Large-leaf yellow tea (LYT) is made from mature tea leaves with stems and has unique sensory characteristics different from other teas. To study the chemical changes of LYT during processing, samples were collected from each step for quantitative and qualitative analyses by high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). LC-MS-based nontargeted and targeted metabolomics analyses revealed that the tea sample after roasting was markedly different from samples before roasting, with the levels of epicatechins and free amino acids significantly decreased, but the epimerized catechins increased dramatically. After accounting for common compounds in tea, N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidinone-substituted flavan-3-ols were found to be the marker compounds responsible for the classification of all samples, as they rapidly rose with increasing processing temperature. These findings suggested that the predominant changes in the tea constituents during large-leaf yellow tea roasting were the thermally induced degradation and epimerization of catechins and the formation of N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidinone-substituted flavan-3-ols from l-theanine.