Journal of Tea Science

The Mechanism and Research Progress of Epigallocatechin Gallate in Improving Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

CHEN Jiaxin, ZHANG Jinjia, ZUO Huiling, JIAO Yuhang, SHI Anhua

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 543-553. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.003

Abstract ( 217 )

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The incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing year by year and there is no specific drug available. The active ingredient of green tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has been widely proven to have a favorable ameliorative effect on NAFLD in the low dose range. Some of the mechanisms by which EGCG delays the development of NAFLD through anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammation, inhibition of iron death, reduction of lipogenesis, up-regulation of autophagy, modulation of intestinal flora, and reduction of bile acid metabolism were summarized in this paper, so as to provide insights for in-depth research on improving NAFLD.

Advances on Flavor Chemical Characteristics of Solarization Tea

XIE Chenxin, ZHAO Feng, LIN Yu, CAI Liangsui, LIN Zhi, GUO Li

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 554-564. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.014

Abstract ( 192 )

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Tea withering or drying with solarization is beneficial to save a lot of energy cost and contribute to the unique flavor formation. In this paper, the advances of solarization tea were reviewed from the aspects of flavor quality characteristics, flavor chemical characteristics, technical and environmental factors affecting their formation. Linalool, geranyl, 1-octene-3-ol and capric aldehyde are the key aroma components of solarization tea, among which 1-octene-3-ol and 1-octene-3-one may be related to sun exposure flavor. Reasonable use of environmental factors such as sunlight and air humidity is a basic requirement for processing high-quality solarization tea. On this basis, the development of technology upgrading and theoretical research for solarization tea was prospected from the technical, theoretical and industrial levels.

Research Progress on the Application of Gas Chromatography-ion Mobility Spectrometry in the Field of Tea

GAN Fangyuan, LIU Zhenping, FU Bingsheng, LONG Daoqi, PANG Kejing, JIANG Rong

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 565-574. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.001

Abstract ( 133 )

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Tea is an important economic crop in traditional Chinese agriculture, with a long history and rich cultural connotation. The different parameters of tea origin, storage time and processing method determine the quality, nutritional value and market positioning. Known as a newly developed non-destructive testing technique, GC-IMS can analyze the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of samples under normal pressure to characterize the differences between samples. This paper collected the existing literature data, reviewed the applications of GC-IMS technology in the study of kind differentiation, grade identification, origin identification, storage time determination and processing quality control of tea, and analyzed the current problems and future prospects of GC-IMS technology in the field of tea application, and provided theoretical reference for the flavor research, process optimization, quality analysis and quality monitoring of tea.

Study on the Synthetic Site of Caffeine in Different Etiolated Tea Germplasms

ZHANG Yazhen, ZHONG Sitong, CHEN Zhihui, KONG Xiangrui, SHAN Ruiyang, ZHENG Shiqin, YU Wenquan, CHEN Changsong

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 575-584. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.011

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As the main characteristic metabolite in tea plants, caffeine contributes to tea quality and flavor formation and is a natural functional component. Its function, distribution, biosynthetic pathway and related key genes in tea plants have been basically identified, but its synthetic site at subcellular level needs to be further clarified. In this study, ‘Baijiguan’ and its half-sib offsprings with different etiolated leaves were used as materials. The results of transmission electron microscopy show that the chloroplast structures in etiolated leaves were damaged or destroyed, which was closely related to the SPAD value and leaf phenotype. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the caffeine content. It was found that there was still a large amount of caffeine accumulation in etiolated leaves, even more than in normal green leaves. Then, the expression and location of CsTCS1, a key gene involved in caffeine synthesis, were studied by real-time PCR, in-situ hybridization and subcellular localization. It was shown that the expression level of CsTCS1 in different etiolated leaves varied obviously. But the expression site was basically consistent, mainly distributed in the nucleus and cytoplasm of palisade tissues. These results reveal that the synthetic site of caffeine at subcellular level in tea leaves were mainly nucleus and cytoplasm, but not chloroplasts.

Identification and Tissue Expression Analysis of Sucrose Transporter (SUT) Gene Family in Camellia sinensis

LUO Wei, ZHANG Jiaqi, YANG Ni, HU Zhihang, HAO Jiannan, LIU Hui, TAN Shanshan, ZHUANG Jing

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 585-597. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.002

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Sucrose transporters (SUTs), the main sucrose carriers, consume energy to transport and load sucrose, which play a key role in the transport of plant photosynthetic products from source to sink. In this study, seven members of CsSUTs family were identified from Camellia sinensis ‘Shuchazao’ by bioinformatics analysis. Their physical and chemical properties, gene structure, subcellular localization, evolutionary relationship and cis-acting elements were analyzed. The identified CsSUT proteins, containing a conserved MFS-2 domain, are closely related to AtSUC proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana, which are clustered in SUTⅠ, Ⅱ and Ⅳ. AtSUC proteins of Arabidopsis thaliana were used as a model in the STRING online website to speculate that there might be a direct interaction between CsSUT proteins and SWEET, SUS and STP proteins. Analysis of the promoter regions of the CsSUT family genes in tea plants reveals that there were masses of cis-acting elements related to hormone response, abiotic stress, and plant growth and development. It is speculated that these promoters may be regulated by plant hormones, stress and other factors, thus affecting the growth and development of tea plants. There were differences in the expression patterns of CsSUT family genes in C. sinensis ‘Longjing 43’ and C. sinensis ‘Shuchazao’. CsSUT6 was highly expressed in flowers, suggesting that it may contribute to the supply, storage and distribution of sucrose in floral organs. CsSUT1 and CsSUT5 were highly expressed in various organs of tea plants, indicating that they may synergistically participate in the process of sucrose loading in ‘ source’ leaves and unloading in ‘sink’ organs.

The Impact of Organic Fertilizer Replacement of Chemical Fertilizers on Yield and Quality of Tea Gardens in China

REN Hailong, CHEN Feifan, TAN Qiling, HU Chengxiao, LI Jinxue, WANG Shaomei, LI Xiaojun, MENG Yuanduo, ZHAO Yingjie

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 598-608. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.005

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In order to explore the effects of organic fertilizer replacement of chemical fertilizers on tea yield, quality, and soil physicochemical properties in China, relevant literature on organic fertilizer replacement of chemical fertilizers in tea gardens was collected both domestically and internationally. Meta analysis was used to quantitatively analyze the effects of organic fertilizer replacement of chemical fertilizers on tea yield, quality, and soil physicochemical properties in China under different organic substitution ratios, soil physicochemical properties and substitution years. The results show that compared with the application of chemical fertilizers alone, partial substitution of organic fertilizer can significantly improve tea yield, quality, and soil nutrient content in tea gardens. The organic substitution ratios, soil conditions, and substitution period are important factors that affect the effectiveness of organic substitution. When the organic substitution ratio was less than 25%, the yield increase effect was the best. When the organic substitution ratio was between 25% and 75%, the best effect was achieved in improving the quality of tea. When the organic substitution exceeded 75%, it would lead to a decrease in tea yield due to insufficient nutrient supply in the soil during the season. Organic substitution had a better effect on increasing tea yield when soil organic matter<20βg·kg^-1, alkaline nitrogen<100βmg·kg^-1, available phosphorus<5βmg·kg^-1, and pH>4.5. When soil organic matter>20βg·kg^-1, alkaline nitrogen>100βmg·kg^-1, available phosphorus>20βmg·kg^-1, available potassium>100βmg·kg^-1, and pH<5.5, the tea quality improvement effect was better. There was a cumulative effect of organic fertilizer efficiency, and the longer the organic substitution period, the better the effect on improving tea yield and quality.

The Predatory Ability and Intraspecific Interference Response of Arma chinensis to the Larvae of Ectropis grisescens

GUO Shibao, CHEN Junhua, ZHANG Long, LI Feifan, LIU Hongmin, SHI Hongzhong

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 609-617. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.007

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To explore the biological control potential of Arma chinensis, a predatory insect, against Ectropis grisescens larvae, the predation and search effect of 4th-5th instar Arma chinensis nymphs and female adults on 3rd-5th instar larvae of Ectropis grisescens were measured in the laboratory, and the intraspecific interference effects of 5th instar Arma chinensis nymphs and female adults were also studied. The results show that both the nymphs and the female adults of the 4th-5th instar Arma chinensis had predatory ability to the larvae of the 3rd-5th instar of Ectropis grisescens, and the functional response equation of predation was in accordance with the Holling Ⅱ model. At different developmental stages of Arma chinensis, the female adults had the highest (33.042) control effectiveness to the larvae of Ectropis grisescens, the second is the 5th instar nymphs (23.222), and the lowest in the 4th instar nymphs (13.219). The female adults had a control effectiveness of 33.042 against the 3rd instar of Ectropis grisescens, the maximum predation of female adults, 5th and 4th instar nymphs of Arma chinensis on the 3rd instar larvae of Ectropis grisescens were 41.499, 37.178 and 31.602. The instantaneous attack rate (0.793) of the female adults of the Arma chinensis on the 3rd instar Ectropis grisescens was the highest, and the prey processing time for was shortest (0.024βd), indicating that the female adult of the Arma chinensis had the strongest potential to prey on the 3rd instar Ectropis grisescens larvae. The search effect of the Arma chinensis on the larvae of Ectropis grisescens increased with the decrease of the prey density. The search effect of Arma chinensis was as follows: female adults > 5th instar nymphs > 4th instar nymphs. The intraspecific density of the 5th instar nymphs and female adults of Arma chinensis interfered with the predation of the Ectropis grisescens, and the intraspecific interference of the 5th instar nymphs was less than that of the female adults.

Effects of Broflanilide on the Biosynthesis and Recognition of Sex Pheromone in the Tea Grey Geometrid Ectropis grisescens

XU Changxia, LUO Zongxiu, MA Long

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 618-626. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.006

Abstract ( 68 )

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The tea grey geometrid Ectropis grisescens Warren is a devastating chewing pest in tea plantations throughout China, and interfering with the sex pheromone recognition communication between female and male moths becomes an effective method to manage this insect pest. In the present study, the sublethal dose of broflanilide was used to treat adult E. grisescens. The results of wind tunnel tests reveal that the broflanilide-treated male adults showed a declined percentage of the behavioral responses, including excitation, oriented flight, and source contact. However, the corresponding durations of behavioral responses in male moths were significantly increased. Further studies using electrophysiological assays demonstrate that the electroantennogram responses of broflanilide-treated male moths to the sex pheromone of Z3,Z6,Z9-18:H at 0.01 mg·mL^-1 were decreased by 54.57%. Besides, when female moths were treated with a sublethal dose of broflanilide, the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses demonstrates that the major sex pheromone components, Z3,Z6,Z9-18:H and Z3,epo6,Z9-18:H, in the female pheromone gland were decreased by 21.76% and 34.71% respectively compared with the control. This result reveals the suppression of sex pheromone biosynthesis in broflanilide-treated female moths. Further study by qRT-PCR analysis reveals that a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase of Egri-CYP340BD1 enriched in pheromone gland was significantly up-regulated in broflanilide-treated female moths. Taken together, this study demonstrates that broflanilide treatment would manipulate the courtship of this insect pest, and the results would contribute to the design of insect-behavior-modifying technology in novel pest management.

Optimization of Culture Conditions of A Trichoderma yunnanensis and Its Control Efficiency of Tea Anthracnose

LIU Hui, FENG Yueling, ZHU Xiuying, ZHENG Zhouzhou, LIU Sirui, ZHOU Luona, PAN Xuezhen, SONG Li

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 627-638. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.013

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To optimize the fermentation conditions of Trichoderma yunnanensis, which has antagonistic effect on Colletotrichum camelliae, single factor and response surface tests were performed with the inhibition rate of C. camelliae as the evaluation index. Then, the antagonistic activity, in vitro leaf control effect, indoor pot control effect, and growth effect of the fermentation broth on C. camelliae and tea plants, respectively, were determined. The results show that the optimum fermentation conditions of T. yunnanense were as follows: potato 200βg·L^-1, mannitol 18.85βg·L^-1, yeast extract 4.73βg·L^-1, liquid content 372.60βmL·L^-1, culture temperature 25β℃, pH 6.6, 12L∶12D. The inhibitory rate of the obtained fermentation broth on C. camelliae reached 92.61% under the ratio of 1∶9 mixed with potato broth (PDA) medium. The control effect of the fermentation broth on anthrax in vitro leaf was 63.71% and that on indoor potted tea plants was 68.95%, both of which were significantly higher than that of T. harzianum wettable powder and carbendazim. Compared with the water control, the growth of tea seedlings treated with fermentation solution of T. yunnensis was significantly improved, which was manifested by the increase of root length, root fresh weight, plant height and above ground fresh weight by 69.16%, 215.70%, 42.13% and 212.11% respectively. Overall, T. yunnanense fermentation liquid has both antibiotic and growth-promoting effects. The results provided a theoretical basis for the application of T. yunnanense fermentation broth in the biological control of tea anthracnose.

Isolation and Identification of Aspergillus cristatus LJSC.2006 and Its Effect on Fu Tea’s Quality

XIAO Juanjuan, CHENG Ying, LIU Yan, LIU Qiaofang, JIANG Ating, HUANG Jian'an, WANG Kunbo, LIU Zhonghua, WANG Zhenhong, YU Lijun

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 639-654. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.009

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This study investigated the effect of self-isolated and purified strain LJSC.2006 on the quality of Hunan Fu tea, a primary dark tea. Strain LJSC.2006 was identified as Aspergillus cristatus (Aspergillus cristatus LJSC.2006, GenBank accession number: MZ147025) through colony plate morphology, spore electron microscopy, and mycelial molecular marker identification. Sensory evaluation, biochemical composition analysis and head space solid phase microextraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry methods were applied to assess the flavor and aroma qualities of dark tea raw materials and fermented Jinhua loose tea. The results indicate that compared with the primary dark tea, the fermented loose tea sample exhibited a deeper color, the golden flowers, a richer fungus aroma, and a mellower taste. After fermentation by Aspergillus cristatus LJSC.2006, there was a decrease in the levels of flavor quality components such as tea polyphenols, soluble carbohydrates, free amino acids, flavonoids, ester-catechins, myricetin, quercetin and kaempferol. The aroma components, esters and aldehydes of the loose tea samples increased after fermentation. Styrene and cedrol were the common aroma components in the primary dark tea. (E)-linalool 3,7-oxide and acetophenone were the common aroma components in the fermented loose tea. Additionally, ten characteristic volatile components relative content were significantly increased, including methyl salicylate, (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal, (E)-linalool-3,7-oxide, (E)-furan oxidized linalool, (E)-2-nonanal, (E)-2-hexenal, (E,Z)-6-nonanal, acetophenone, (E)-2-nonanal, and methyl vanillate, which together contributed to the distinctive fungal fragrance of Jinhua loose tea.

Quality Evaluation of Huoshan Huangya from the Perspective of Consumers

JIANG Qing, QIU Tong, ZHAO Lei, ZHAO Xiaoyi, ZHANG Ying, CHEN Yingqi, GAN Shiya, DAI Qianying

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 655-664. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.004

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Huoshan huangya of Anhui is commonly made from tea cultivars ‘Huoshan-jinjizhong’ and ‘Shuchazao’, with the processing methods of yellow tea and green tea. This study dealt with consumer preferences and variation of taste intensity for different cultivars and processing of Huoshan huangya using the Preferential attribute elicitation (PAE) method and Time-intensity (TI) method. In the PAE test, after the evaluators reached an agreement on the generated attributes, they ranked and assigned the intensity of sensory attributes according to the importance of their influence on preferences. The results show that the taste rank sum (115) > aroma rank sum (81) > appearance rank sum (44), and all consumers commonly selected the important descriptors: sweet aftertaste, flowery aroma and tippy. In the TI test, five descriptors were selected based on the geometric mean M value: sweet aftertaste, mellow, bitter, fresh, and astringent. Descriptors of sweet and fresh of yellow tea made from the tea cultivar ‘Huoshan-jinjizhong’ were higher than that of green tea, and descriptors of mellow, bitter, astringent were lower than those of green tea. Teas made from ‘Shuchazao’ showed the opposite trend. This study applied PAE and TI methods to clarify the important characteristics of Huoshan huangya, by observing the dynamic sensory changes of Huoshan huangya with different cultivars and different processing methods, to propose yellow tea made from ‘Huoshan-jinjizhong’ and green tea made from ‘Shuchazao’ were more suitable from the perspective of consumers. This paper scientifically guided yellow tea enterprises to organize production and sales according to local conditions.

Prediction and Analysis of Active Components in Tea Stem Fermented Product Based on Network Pharmacology

HE Haotian, XIAO Juanjuan, TANG Yiyu, LUO Mi, LIU Zhonghua, YU Lijun

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 665-682. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.010

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Tea stem has a significant impact on the sensory quality for Fucha fermentation product. To explore the active ingredients and targets of tea stems in Fucha, Aspergillus cristatus LJSC.2006 (GenBank accession number: MZ147020) was used to ferment tea stem and obtain the end products. Non-targeted metabolomics (LC-MS/MS), network pharmacology, and molecular docking were used to verify the experimental results. Based on partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), 295 kinds of non-targeted metabolites with differential expression between the fermented tea stem and raw tea stem were identified, including 41 carbohydrates, 37 organic acids, 33 phenols and derivatives, 27 terpenoids, 26 amines, 24 nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds, 21 esters, 19 glyeosides, 15 flavonoids and derivatives, 14 amino acids and derivatives, 9 steroids and derivatives, 9 alkaloids, 6 phenolic acids, 6 coumarins and derivatives, 1 catechin and derivatives and 7 others. The network pharmacological analysis show that there were 16 potential active ingredients acting on 248 targets, and 13 potential central targets were obtained through Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) screening. According to the results of molecular docking, coumestrol, galangin, luteolin and crocetin were the main central active ingredients. EGFR, ESR1, SRC and PTGS2 were the main targets of tea stem fermented by Aspergillus cristatus.

Alleviative Effects of Aged Fu Brick Tea on Lipid Metabolism in Hyperlipidemic Mice

KE Wanping, LIU Zhenyun, LI Menghua, ZHOU Xirui, GUO Xiaoli, ZHANG Sheng, HUANG Jian′an, LIU Zhonghua, XIAO Lizheng, LIN Yong

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 683-693. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.008

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To investigate the preventive effect of Fu brick tea with different years on high-fat diet-induced obesity and hyperlipidemia, this experiment was conducted with C57BL/6J mice, and Fu brick tea aged for 1 and 10 years were used as representative tea samples. The normal diet group (ND), high-fat diet group (HFD), and Fu brick tea with different ageing time (10Y, 1Y) were set up. The analysis of bioactive components of the tea samples reveals a significant increase in the contents of theabrownin and soluble sugars, and a significant decrease in polyphenols and catechin monomers in Fu brick tea aged for 10 years. Animal test results show that Fu brick tea aged for 1 year and 10 years were effective in reducing liver and serum lipid levels, body weight gain, organ coefficients and adipose tissue weights compared to the HFD group, and that Fu brick tea aged for 10 years had a relatively significant effect. Liver and adipose tissue sections show that Fu brick tea supplementation reduced the formation of lipid droplets and the appearance of vacuoles in the liver, as well as inhibited adipocyte expansion. In addition, Fu brick tea supplementation ameliorated inflammation and hepatic oxidative stress caused by a high-fat diet. Compared with Fu brick tea aged for 1 year, Fu brick tea aged for 10 years significantly reduced the levels of the inflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF-α, as well as the liver injury indicators (AST and ALT viabilities), while significantly up-regulating the hepatic GSH content (P<0.05). This may be a result of the richness of theabrownin in 10-year aged Fu brick tea and its co-action with other active ingredients.

Historical Changes and Influencing Factors of Tea Producing Areas in the Yangtze River Basin

DU Xiya, LIU Xinqiu, LU Yong

Journal of Tea Science. 2024, 44(4): 694-706. doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2024.04.012

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The production, trade and the dissemination of tea culture in ancient China were mainly centered around the Yangtze River Basin. Research on the distribution of tea planting areas in the Yangtze River Basin and their influencing factors provides a crucial perspective for a thorough understanding of the historical and geographical development of tea. Based on the combing of ancient books, especially local records, combined with the research of modern scholars on tea producing areas in historical periods, this paper sorted out the historical evolution process of tea producing areas in the Yangtze River basin in detail. The study categorized these shifts into four stages and utilized ArcGIS technology to create distribution maps of tea-producing areas during each stage. The paper summarized the characteristics and patterns of tea-producing areas in the Yangtze River Basin, attempting to analyze prominent factors influencing the distribution of tea-producing areas in each stage. It reveals key features of the historical and geographical development of tea, providing valuable insights for a deeper understanding of tea production and the dissemination of tea culture in China.

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