Abstract
This paper aims to provide a stable instrumental method for provenance discrimination of Anji-White tea by its distinctive taste. 180 authentic and 60 counterfeit white tea samples were collected for specific geographical origins detection; all of them were measured by electronic tongue coupled with 7 independent sensors. Therefore, chemometrics methods, principal component analysis (PCA), and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) were performed in classification. The PCA distribution shows that, in provenance analysis, PCA is a simple and reliable tool for small sample sets, but for sets with large objects, PCA seems powerless in classification. Therefore, PLSDA was applied to develop a classification model. The prediction sensitivity and specificity of PLSDA, respectively, reached 0.917 and 0.950. This study demonstrates the potential of combining electronic tongue system and chemometrics as an effective tool for specific geographical origins detection in Anji-White tea.
Highlights
Green tea, made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, is one of the most popular beverages in the world
In model C, 180 Anji-White tea (AWT) and 60 non-Anji-White teas (NAWT) objects overlap with each other; in other words, principal component analysis (PCA) can hardly satisfy the demand of provenance discrimination
PCA and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) models were performed in classification
Summary
Made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, is one of the most popular beverages in the world. Tea plants are widely distributed in over 30 countries and play a significant role in their economies; the property and chemical components of green tea are influenced by many factors, such as climate, fertilization conditions, geographical origins, and processing procedures. Anji-White tea (AWT) is produced in Anji County (Zhejiang province, China) and has been awarded the protected geographical indication (PGI) It is called a “white” tea because its leaves are very light in color due to its low chlorophyll and polyphenol contents [7]. The actual yield of AWT is limited and can hardly afford the increasing market demand; some merchants fraudulently label “Anji-White tea” indication to non-Anji-White teas (NAWT) for illegal profits. An urgent demand exists for developing a nonhuman technique to discriminate the geographical origins of white teas
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