Abstract
Tea is considered as the most consumed drink in the world containing high antioxidant capacity. In this study, the volatile compounds, the phenolic content, catechins and caffeine including antioxidant activities of 22 Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Assam tea) cultivars were investigated. The volatile compounds were investigated by GC-MS. At least forty-five volatile compounds representing 94.99-99.65% of all cultivars were identified. Limonene, trans-linalool oxide, cis-linalool oxide, linalool, and furfural were detected as the major components among these cultivars. Varied ranges were found in all Assam tea cultivars for the contents of phenolics (113.45-245.55 mg gallic acid/g dry weight), total catechins (170.03-355.59 mg/g dry weight), caffeine (0.92-3.40 mg/g dry weight), and antioxidant activities (1418.68-2728.46 µmol Trolox/g dry weight and 1448.98-2864.17 µmol Trolox/g dry weight for DPPH and ABTS assay, respectively). The antioxidant activity was correlated with phenolic compounds such as epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, and catechin gallate. The specific differences among Assam tea cultivars are dependent on the tea cultivar and altitude which may play a significant role in breeding Assam tea cultivars in Thailand for providing its potential health benefits.
Highlights
Tea produced from Camellia sinensis leaves is the second most popular drink throughout the world next to water (Pripdeevech et al, 2017)
The present study comparatively determined the volatile profiles, total phenolic content, catechins, and antioxidant activity of Thai Assam tea cultivars grown in the same condition for the first time
The results suggested that 22 Assam tea infusions possessed specific volatile compounds characteristic, different antioxidant activities, phenolic content and catechin compounds varying in specific cultivars
Summary
Tea produced from Camellia sinensis leaves is the second most popular drink throughout the world next to water (Pripdeevech et al, 2017). Tea drinking has been reported to help to reduce the risk of cancer and heart diseases (Almajano et al, 2008). This benefit is the result of various types of bioactive compounds in tea such as polyphenols, caffeine, and terpenes accounting for its pharmaceutical and aroma properties (Kumazawa and Masuda, 2002). Caffeine has been reported to improve mood, attention, performance, alertness, the speed at which information is processed and reaction time (Astill et al, 2001). It was associated with reducing the risk of Parkinson’s disease (Li et al, 2012). Volatile aroma components in tea were monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes with its derivatives achieving by fermentation processing methods (Pripdeevech and Machan, 2011)
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