Changes in Contents of Quality Related Components of Tea Leaves under Different Preservation
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Abstract:
In this work, the plucked tea leaves were preserved at different temperatures, including a range of refrigeration at 5~8 ℃, 10~13 ℃, and 15~18 ℃, as well as a room temperature storage at 21~23 ℃, for 36 hours. Changes of quality-related components of tea leaves were investigated during the process of preservation through detecting biochemical indexes. The content of soluble sugar showed no significant changes in neither refrigeration nor room temperature sample groups after 36 hour treatment. The content of free amino acids maintained at the same level before and after 36 hour refrigeration at 10~13 ℃. The catechin (C), epicatechin (EC), and epicatechin gallate (ECG) decreased significantly in all preservation treatments (p<0.05). The contents of epigallocatechin (EGC), gallocatechin (GC), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) demonstrated no significant variation after 36 hour refrigeration at neither 5~8 ℃ nor 10~13 ℃. The result of principle component analysis (PCA) suggested all samples of four refrigeration treatments were separated from the room temperature ones on the basis of soluble sugar, free amino acids, C, EC, EGC, GC, EGC, and EGCG. The refrigerated samples also clustered closer to the fresh leaves than the ones of room temperature case. In conclusion, 10~13 ℃ treatment could be a better choice to store plucked tea leaves.
