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Journal of Tea Science ›› 2024, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (2): 299-315.doi: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.02.009

• Research Paper • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Chemical Composition Analysis of Unique ‘Rattan Tea’ in Yunnan

FANG Chenggang1, YANG Gaozhong2,3, YANG Yingbiao4, ZHANG Liqiu5, CHEN Xia1, LI Lianchao6, LÜ Haipeng2,*, LIN Zhi2,*   

  1. 1. Horticultural Research Institute Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming 650205, China;
    2. Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science/Key Laboratory of Biology, Genetics and Breeding of Special Economic Animals and Plants, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hangzhou 310008, China;
    3. Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China;
    4. Green Food Development Center of Yunnan Province, Kunming 650205, China;
    5. Pu'er Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Pu'er 665000, China;
    6. Shuangjiang Colorful Rooting Tea Industry, Shuangjiang 677300, China
  • Received:2023-10-26 Revised:2023-12-11 Online:2024-04-15 Published:2024-04-30

Abstract: ‘Rattan tea’ is a unique tea in Yunnan, named after the distinctive cultivation method developed by local tea farmers over generations which prompts tea tree trunks to resemble rattan in appearance. To investigate the impact of the ‘rattan tea’ pluck management system on tea quality, the one bud and two leaves from rattan tea plantation were collected to produce sun-dried tea, black tea and white tea, and the samples of the same kind of fresh leaves of the modern tea plantation were used as the control. These samples were used for the sensory evaluation and chemical composition analysis. The study shows that the sun-dried tea made from fresh rattan tea leaves exhibits a higher refreshing aroma and stronger taste, while the white tea has a stronger aroma and sweeter taste. In contrast, the black tea from modern tea gardens is characterized by a higher level of sweet aroma and a refreshing taste. The total catechin content in rattan tea was significantly lower than that in modern tea plantations, particularly in rattan white tea (67.11 mg·g-1), which was significantly lower than that of modern tea plantation white tea (84.19 mg·g-1). The content of theanine in rattan sun-dried tea (16.79 mg·g-1) was significantly higher than that in modern tea plantation sun-dried tea (14.69 mg·g-1). Both rattan sun-dried tea and rattan white tea exhibited lower phenol-to-amino acid ratios. A total of 205 primary metabolites were identified, with rattan white tea accumulated a richer profile of sugars. In addition, a total of 127 volatile compounds were detected in all tea samples. Alcohols and esters were the predominant volatile components in different tea types, with rattan white tea exhibiting significantly higher total volatile compound content than modern tea plantation white tea. Rattan black tea contained a higher content of geraniol, while modern tea plantation black tea had higher levels of linalool. In summary, the processing methods of sun-dried tea and white tea were found to be more conducive to obtain high-quality rattan tea products, and the overall chemical quality of tea samples made from rattan tea plantation were better than that of tea samples from modern tea plantation.

Key words: rattan tea, sensory evaluation, chemical composition, volatile components

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