Comparison of secondary metabolite changes in Camellia sinensis leaves depending on the growth stage

Abstract

To improve tea leaves’ utility as a functional crop, it is necessary to understand the distribution and alteration of bioactive secondary metabolites during different growth stages. In the present study, secondary metabolites changes in C. sinensis leaves were investigated according to growth stage using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTof MS) with multivariate analysis. Through principal component analysis of the metabolites, patterns could be distinguished from samples harvested between April and August. On the loading plot, significant changes in the contents of metabolites were found during growth, and two gallotannins (4 and 10), three flavan-3-ols (6, 7, and 17), two flavonols (14 and 16), and two theaflavins (29 and 31) were evaluated as growth markers among thirty-one isolated metabolites. In particular, the flavonols and theaflavins increased gradually, whereas gallotannins and flavan-3-ols decreased continuously depending on the growth stage. A possible pathway could be deduced using metabolomics analysis, and information regarding physiological characterization and optimal harvesting time was obtained.