Abstract:
The tender shoots harvested from regular leaf color tea cultivars such as 'Longjing 43', as well as albino tea germplasms including 'Huangjinya' and its offspring, were processed into ultra-fine green tea powders in later spring and autumn. The quality characteristics of 'Huangjinya' and its albino offspring ultra-fine green tea powders were comprehensively evaluated through sensory evaluation, analysis of particle size and color difference, determination of tea polyphenols and catechins, and detection of alkaloid and amino acid components. The results showed that the appearance and color of the ultra-fine green tea powders made from 'Huangjinya' and its albino offspring were significantly different from those of regular leaf color cultivars, and the umami and freshness of the tea infusions were better than those of regular leaf color cultivars. The particle sizes of ultra-fine green tea powders made from 'Huangjinya' and its albino offspring (D90, 56.50~67.05 μm) were similar to those of regular leaf color cultivars (D90, 57.47~62.69 μ m), indicating that the grinding characteristics of albino and regular leaf color tea germplasms were basically same. The brightness of ultra-fine green tea powder made from 'Huangjinya' and its albino offspring (
L* value, 71.65~81.43) was higher than that of regular leaf color cultivars (
L* value, 65.50~72.65), and the greenness (
a* value, −5.31~−0.12) was lower than that of regular ones (
a* value, −6.45~−2.85). Compared with regular leaf color cultivars, the total free amino acid content (29.72~104.36 mg/g) and amino acid composition with various flavors in the powder from 'Huangjinya' and its albino offspring were higher, while contents of tea polyphenols (165.99~243.72 mg/g), catechins (79.74~172.09 mg/g), ratio of tea polyphenols to free amino acids (1.59~7.94), and caffeine content (18.34~32.27 mg/g) were lower. The results showed that the color of the ultra-fine green tea powder made from 'Huangjinya' and its albino offspring in autumn was more yellow than that in spring; the aroma was mainly light, but the taste intensity of autumn tea powder was generally higher than that of spring; the particle sizes of ultra-fine green tea powder in spring were similar to those in autumn (60.58 vs 61.41, μm); The
L* value (77.21 vs 74.16) and
b* value (27.31 vs 27.07) of ultra-fine green tea powder in spring was higher than that in autumn, but the seasonal variation of the
a* value (−2.14 vs −2.66) was large. The total free amino acid content (60.74 vs 35.93, mg/g) and amino acid composition in the powder from 'Huangjinya' and its albino offspring of spring were higher than that of autumn, while contents of tea polyphenols (199.87 vs 211.17, mg/g), catechins (102.44 vs 149.66, mg/g), caffeine content (24.52 vs 26.04, mg/g), and ratio of tea polyphenols to free amino acids (3.79 vs 6.14) were lower. The results of orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) showed that 17 physical and chemical indicators, including color difference, amino acids, alkaloids, and so on, could be used to distinguish characteristics of green tea powders made from the regular leaf color and albino cultivars such as 'Huangjinya'. The different contents of 22 metabolites, including amino acids, alkaloids, and catechins, in the ultra-fine green tea powder were the key reasons for the seasonal quality differences of 'Huangjinya' and its albino offspring. This study can provide theoretical basis for establishing a comprehensive quality evaluation system of the ultra-fine green tea powders and developing the identification indicators of cultivar breeding for tea plant germplasms with specific leaf colors.