Altitudinal effects on the quality of green tea in east China: a climate change perspective

Abstract

Climate change differentially affects tea yield at various altitudes; however, its impact on tea quality is less acknowledged. To understand the divergence in tea quality, we collected green tea samples from five sites (with varying altitude from 212 to 1020 m) on Lushan Mountain in Jiangxi Province, eastern China. Results showed that an increase in cultivation altitude decreased total tea polyphenols (TP) but increased amino acids (AA) concentration, leading to a remarkable decrease in TP/AA, one of the most important parameters that determine the taste of green tea. The constituents of AA, especially theanine, glutamic acid, arginine, serine, γ-aminobutyric acid and aspartic acid increased with increasing elevational gradients. Nonetheless, the constituents of polyphenolic compounds, especially individual catechins, were differentially altered with the change in cultivation altitude. In particular, with increasing elevation, the epigallocatechin-3-gallate and epicatechin gallate decreased, while the epigallocatechin and gallocatechin gallate increased, that eventually caused no significant variation in the total catechins in different sites. Additionally, the percentage of catechins to TP was increased with increasing altitude. Given that temperature is being increased due to climate change, rising temperatures particularly at lower altitude, perhaps, will deteriorate tea quality as a consequence of climate warming. This observation demands development of effective measures for sustaining green tea quality in the face of climate change.

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Eur Food Res Technol (2017) 243:323–330
DOI 10.1007/s00217-016-2746-5
ORIGINAL PAPER
Altitudinal effects on the quality of green tea in east China:
a climate change perspective
Wen‑Yan Han1 · Ji‑Gang Huang2 · Xin Li1 · Zhi‑Xin Li1 · Golam Jalal Ahammed1 ·
Peng Yan1 · John Richard Stepp3
Received: 21 February 2016 / Revised: 28 May 2016 / Accepted: 8 July 2016 / Published online: 19 July 2016
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016
is being increased due to climate change, rising tempera-
tures particularly at lower altitude, perhaps, will dete-
riorate tea quality as a consequence of climate warming.
This observation demands development of effective meas-
ures for sustaining green tea quality in the face of climate
change.
Keywords Tea polyphenol · Catechins · Amino acids ·
Camellia sinensis · Cultivation altitude · Climate change
Introduction
Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world
after water [1]. The worldwide rising popularity of tea is
not only due to its pleasant flavor and cultural significance,
but also for its health promoting properties such as anti-can-
cer, anti-inflammation, anti-allergy and anti-obesity effects.
Health benefits of tea are due to the presence of bioactive
compounds, broadly known as tea polyphenols, amino
acids, vitamins, carbohydrates and methylxanthine alka-
loids [2]. Green tea is produced from the species Camellia
sinensis (L.) Kuntze, where oxidation of freshly harvested
leaves is prevented by immediate steaming or roasting that
yields a relatively stable dry material. Green tea consumers
consider certain parameters such as the seasonality, flavor,
appearance and also production techniques (e.g., organic
vs. non-organic) when buying a tea. Spring tea, which is
harvested and processed before late May, is highly appeal-
ing to consumers due to its less bitter taste and increased
flavor complexity. Studies have shown that a heavy, mel-
low and brisk flavor of spring tea is actually because of its
higher levels of amino acids and moderate levels of cate-
chins [3, 4]. Tea catechins are a group of flavonoids that
constitute the major part of total polyphenols that mainly
Abstract Climate change differentially affects tea yield at
various altitudes; however, its impact on tea quality is less
acknowledged. To understand the divergence in tea quality,
we collected green tea samples from five sites (with vary-
ing altitude from 212 to 1020 m) on Lushan Mountain in
Jiangxi Province, eastern China. Results showed that an
increase in cultivation altitude decreased total tea poly-
phenols (TP) but increased amino acids (AA) concentra-
tion, leading to a remarkable decrease in TP/AA, one of
the most important parameters that determine the taste of
green tea. The constituents of AA, especially theanine, glu-
tamic acid, arginine, serine, γ-aminobutyric acid and aspar-
tic acid increased with increasing elevational gradients.
Nonetheless, the constituents of polyphenolic compounds,
especially individual catechins, were differentially altered
with the change in cultivation altitude. In particular, with
increasing elevation, the epigallocatechin-3-gallate and
epicatechin gallate decreased, while the epigallocatechin
and gallocatechin gallate increased, that eventually caused
no significant variation in the total catechins in different
sites. Additionally, the percentage of catechins to TP was
increased with increasing altitude. Given that temperature
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this
article (doi:10.1007/s00217-016-2746-5) contains supplementary
material, which is available to authorized users.
* Wen-Yan Han
hanwy@tricaas.com
1 Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural
Sciences, 9 South Meiling Road, Hangzhou 310008, China
2 Lushan Tea Scientific Research Institute, Jiujiang City,
Lushan 332009, China
3 Department of Anthropology, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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