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Advances in Tea Chemistry
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Advances in Tea Chemistry

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2024 | Viewed by 7258

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yongquan Xu

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Guest Editor
Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology, Genetics and Breeding of Special Economic Animals and Plants, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 9 South Meiling Road, Hangzhou 310008, China
Interests: tea flavor chemistry; tea beverage processing and quality control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ying Gao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology, Genetics and Breeding of Special Economic Animals and Plants, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 9 South Meiling Road, Hangzhou 310008, China
Interests: tea; tea deep processing and diversified utilization
Dr. Qingqing Cao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology, Genetics and Breeding of Special Economic Animals and Plants, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 9 South Meiling Road, Hangzhou 310008, China
Interests: tea flavor; tea deep processing and diversified utilization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tea is well-loved all over the world. Flavor is a leading factor influencing consumer behavior, preferences, and choices of tea. Health-beneficial function is another important reason for its popularity. Nowadays, brewing is not the only way to consume tea. Tea and its extracts are added to foods, beverages, and nutraceuticals.

A great number of secondary metabolites, including flavan-3-ols, phenolic acids, purine alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonols and their glycosides, tannins, and saponins, contribute to the flavor and functions of tea. The chemical composition of tea is affected by the origin, variety, postharvest treatment, processing method, storage, and so on. Currently, scientists pay attention to the improvement of tea and tea products with high quality, low cost, and a long shelf life. They also focus on strategies to increase the bioactivity and bioaccessibility of tea because some components in tea are vulnerable and easily degrade after intake.

The present Special Issue aims at providing a platform for the scientific community to present their high-quality research primarily on tea chemistry. We invite researchers to contribute original research articles as well review articles, in several related fields, such as food science, analytical chemistry, tea processing, flavor chemistry, extraction technology, food functions, risk assessment, and encapsulation technology.

Prof. Dr. Yongquan Xu
Dr. Ying Gao
Guest Editors

Dr. Qingqing Cao
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • flavor chemistry and sensory quality of tea 
  • analytical chemistry in tea products
  • tea processing and storage
  • extraction technology for tea functional components 
  • activity, bioaccessibility, and bioavailability of tea functional components
  • tea food and beverages

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

2 pages, 160 KiB  
Editorial
Advances in Tea Chemistry
by Qing-Qing Cao, Ying Gao and Yong-Quan Xu
Foods 2023, 12(21), 3944; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12213944 - 28 Oct 2023
Viewed by 877
Abstract
The origins of tea, a traditional beverage in China, can be traced back to the Shennong period, about 2737 years before the birth of Christ [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Chemistry)

Research

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17 pages, 2865 KiB  
Article
Distinct Changes in Metabolic Profile and Sensory Quality with Different Varieties of Chrysanthemum (Juhua) Tea Measured by LC-MS-Based Untargeted Metabolomics and Electronic Tongue
by Xing Tian, Haodong Wang, Liang Chen, Hanwen Yuan, Caiyun Peng and Wei Wang
Foods 2024, 13(7), 1080; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13071080 - 1 Apr 2024
Viewed by 607
Abstract
Chrysanthemum tea, a typical health tea with the same origin as medicine and food, is famous for its unique health benefits and flavor. The taste and sensory quality of chrysanthemum (Juhua) tea are mainly determined by secondary metabolites. Therefore, the present research adopted [...] Read more.
Chrysanthemum tea, a typical health tea with the same origin as medicine and food, is famous for its unique health benefits and flavor. The taste and sensory quality of chrysanthemum (Juhua) tea are mainly determined by secondary metabolites. Therefore, the present research adopted untargeted metabolomics combined with an electronic tongue system to analyze the correlation between the metabolite profiles and taste characteristics of different varieties of chrysanthemum tea. The results of sensory evaluation showed that there were significant differences in the sensory qualities of five different varieties of chrysanthemum tea, especially bitterness and astringency. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that there were significant metabolic differences among the five chrysanthemum teas. A total of 1775 metabolites were identified by using untargeted metabolomics based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS analysis. According to the variable importance in projection (VIP) values of the orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), 143 VIP metabolites were found to be responsible for metabolic changes between Huangju and Jinsi Huangju tea; among them, 13 metabolites were identified as the key metabolites of the differences in sensory quality between them. Kaempferol, luteolin, genistein, and some quinic acid derivatives were correlated with the “astringency” attributes. In contrast, l-(-)-3 phenyllactic acid and L-malic acid were found to be responsible for the “bitterness” and “umami” attributes in chrysanthemum tea. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis showed that the flavonoid and flavonol biosynthesis pathways had important effects on the sensory quality of chrysanthemum tea. These findings provide the theoretical basis for understanding the characteristic metabolites that contribute to the distinctive sensory qualities of chrysanthemum tea. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Chemistry)
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17 pages, 3856 KiB  
Article
Huangqin Tea Total Flavonoids–Gut Microbiota Interactions: Based on Metabolome and Microbiome Analysis
by Yaping Zheng, Kailin Yang, Jie Shen, Xiangdong Chen, Chunnian He and Peigen Xiao
Foods 2023, 12(24), 4410; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12244410 - 7 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1154
Abstract
Huangqin tea (HQT), a Non-Camellia Tea derived from the aerial parts of Scutellaria baicalensis, is widely used in the north of China. The intervention effects of HQT on intestinal inflammation and tumors have been found recently, but the active ingredient and [...] Read more.
Huangqin tea (HQT), a Non-Camellia Tea derived from the aerial parts of Scutellaria baicalensis, is widely used in the north of China. The intervention effects of HQT on intestinal inflammation and tumors have been found recently, but the active ingredient and mechanism of action remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the interactions between the potential flavonoid active components and gut microbiota through culture experiments in vitro combined with HPLC-UV, UPLC-QTOF-MS, and 16S rDNA sequencing technology. The results showed that the HQT total flavonoids were mainly composed of isocarthamidin-7-O-β-D-glucuronide, carthamidin-7-O-β-D-glucuronide, scutellarin, and others, which interact closely with gut microbiota. After 48 h, the primary flavonoid glycosides transformed into corresponding aglycones with varying degrees of deglycosylation. The composition of the intestinal microbiota was changed significantly. The beneficial bacteria, such as Enterococcus and Parabacteroides, were promoted, while the harmful bacteria, such as Shigella, were inhibited. The functional prediction results have indicated notable regulatory effects exerted by total flavonoids and scutellarin on various pathways, including purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, among others, to play a role in the intervention of inflammation and tumor-related diseases. These findings provided valuable insights for further in-depth research and investigation of the active ingredients, metabolic processes, and mechanisms of HQT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Chemistry)
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16 pages, 2320 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Structure and Oxidative Polymerization on Antioxidant Activity of Catechins and Polymers
by Wei Wang, Ting Le, Wei-Wei Wang, Jun-Feng Yin and He-Yuan Jiang
Foods 2023, 12(23), 4207; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12234207 - 22 Nov 2023
Viewed by 745
Abstract
Polyphenols are key free radical scavengers in tea. This study screened the antioxidant active groups of catechins and dimers and analyzed the effects of the degree of oxidative polymerization and oxidative dimerization reaction on their antioxidant activities. ABTS+· free radical scavenging activity, [...] Read more.
Polyphenols are key free radical scavengers in tea. This study screened the antioxidant active groups of catechins and dimers and analyzed the effects of the degree of oxidative polymerization and oxidative dimerization reaction on their antioxidant activities. ABTS+· free radical scavenging activity, DPPH free radical scavenging activity, and total antioxidant capacity of catechins and polymers were systematically analyzed and compared in this study. Results manifested antioxidant activities of catechins were dominated by B-ring pyrogallol and 3-galloyl, but were not decided by geometrical isomerism. 3-galloyl had a stronger antioxidant activity than B-ring pyrogallol in catechins. The number, not the position, of the galloyl group was positively correlated with the antioxidant activities of theaflavins. Theasinensin A has more active groups than (−)-epigallocatechin gallate and theaflavin-3,3′-digallate, so it had a stronger antioxidant activity. Additionally, the higher the degree of oxidation polymerization, the weaker the antioxidant activities of the samples. The oxidative dimerization reaction hindered the antioxidant activities of the substrate–catechin mixture by reducing the number of active groups of the substrate and increasing the molecular structure size of the product. Overall, pyrogallol and galloyl groups were antioxidant active groups. The degree of oxidative polymerization and the oxidative dimerization reaction weakened the antioxidant activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Chemistry)
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13 pages, 1473 KiB  
Article
Quantitative Analysis of Bioactive Compounds in Commercial Teas: Profiling Catechin Alkaloids, Phenolic Acids, and Flavonols Using Targeted Statistical Approaches
by Yuan Chen, Lingling Lai, Youli You, Ruizhen Gao, Jiaxin Xiang, Guojun Wang and Wenquan Yu
Foods 2023, 12(16), 3098; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12163098 - 17 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1008
Abstract
Tea, an extensively consumed and globally popular beverage, has diverse chemical compositions that ascertain its quality and categorization. In this investigation, we formulated an analytical and quantification approach employing reversed-phase ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) methodology coupled with diode-array detection (DAD) to precisely quantify [...] Read more.
Tea, an extensively consumed and globally popular beverage, has diverse chemical compositions that ascertain its quality and categorization. In this investigation, we formulated an analytical and quantification approach employing reversed-phase ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) methodology coupled with diode-array detection (DAD) to precisely quantify 20 principal constituents within 121 tea samples spanning 6 distinct variants. The constituents include alkaloids, catechins, flavonols, and phenolic acids. Our findings delineate that the variances in chemical constitution across dissimilar tea types predominantly hinge upon the intricacies of their processing protocols. Notably, green and yellow teas evinced elevated concentrations of total chemical moieties vis à vis other tea classifications. Remarkably divergent levels of alkaloids, catechins, flavonols, and phenolic acids were ascertained among the disparate tea classifications. By leveraging random forest analysis, we ascertained gallocatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, and epicatechin gallate as pivotal biomarkers for effective tea classification within the principal cadre of tea catechins. Our outcomes distinctly underscore substantial dissimilarities in the specific compounds inherent to varying tea categories, as ascertained via the devised and duly validated approach. The implications of this compositional elucidation serve as a pertinent benchmark for the comprehensive assessment and classification of tea specimens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Chemistry)
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Review

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14 pages, 1414 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances Regarding Polyphenol Oxidase in Camellia sinensis: Extraction, Purification, Characterization, and Application
by Chun Zou, Xin Zhang, Yongquan Xu and Junfeng Yin
Foods 2024, 13(4), 545; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13040545 - 9 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1035
Abstract
Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is an important metalloenzyme in the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). However, there has recently been a lack of comprehensive reviews on Camellia sinensis PPO. In this study, the methods for extracting PPO from Camellia sinensis, including acetone [...] Read more.
Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is an important metalloenzyme in the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). However, there has recently been a lack of comprehensive reviews on Camellia sinensis PPO. In this study, the methods for extracting PPO from Camellia sinensis, including acetone extraction, buffer extraction, and surfactant extraction, are compared in detail. The main purification methods for Camellia sinensis PPO, such as ammonium sulfate precipitation, three-phase partitioning, dialysis, ultrafiltration, ion exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography, and affinity chromatography, are summarized. PPOs from different sources of tea plants are characterized and systematically compared in terms of optimal pH, optimal temperature, molecular weight, substrate specificity, and activators and inhibitors. In addition, the applications of PPO in tea processing and the in vitro synthesis of theaflavins are outlined. In this review, detailed research regarding the extraction, purification, properties, and application of Camellia sinensis PPO is summarized to provide a reference for further research on PPO. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Chemistry)
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27 pages, 925 KiB  
Review
Research Review on Quality Detection of Fresh Tea Leaves Based on Spectral Technology
by Ting Tang, Qing Luo, Liu Yang, Changlun Gao, Caijin Ling and Weibin Wu
Foods 2024, 13(1), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13010025 - 20 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1194
Abstract
As the raw material for tea making, the quality of tea leaves directly affects the quality of finished tea. The quality of fresh tea leaves is mainly assessed by manual judgment or physical and chemical testing of the content of internal components. Physical [...] Read more.
As the raw material for tea making, the quality of tea leaves directly affects the quality of finished tea. The quality of fresh tea leaves is mainly assessed by manual judgment or physical and chemical testing of the content of internal components. Physical and chemical methods are more mature, and the test results are more accurate and objective, but traditional chemical methods for measuring the biochemical indexes of tea leaves are time-consuming, labor-costly, complicated, and destructive. With the rapid development of imaging and spectroscopic technology, spectroscopic technology as an emerging technology has been widely used in rapid non-destructive testing of the quality and safety of agricultural products. Due to the existence of spectral information with a low signal-to-noise ratio, high information redundancy, and strong autocorrelation, scholars have conducted a series of studies on spectral data preprocessing. The correlation between spectral data and target data is improved by smoothing noise reduction, correction, extraction of feature bands, and so on, to construct a stable, highly accurate estimation or discrimination model with strong generalization ability. There have been more research papers published on spectroscopic techniques to detect the quality of tea fresh leaves. This study summarizes the principles, analytical methods, and applications of Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in the nondestructive testing of the quality and safety of fresh tea leaves for the purpose of tracking the latest research advances at home and abroad. At the same time, the principles and applications of other spectroscopic techniques including Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), Mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIRS), Raman spectroscopy (RS), and other spectroscopic techniques for non-destructive testing of quality and safety of fresh tea leaves are also briefly introduced. Finally, in terms of technical obstacles and practical applications, the challenges and development trends of spectral analysis technology in the nondestructive assessment of tea leaf quality are examined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tea Chemistry)
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