The Implications of Post-Harvest Storage Time and Temperature on the Phytochemical Composition and Quality of Japanese-Styled Green Tea Grown in Australia: A Food Loss and Waste Recovery Opportunity

Krahe, James; Krahe, Michelle; Naumovski, Nenad

doi:10.3390/beverages7020025

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…This poses a problem for producers: how to store postharvest fresh leaves to maintain leaf quality? Therefore, it is necessary to determine best practices for storing fresh leaves postharvest to ameliorate the effects of processing delay on tea quality [ 5 ]. Low temperature and high relative humidity are key factors that affect the quality of horticultural products.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Theanine contributes sweet and savory tastes, while catechins are responsible for the color, bitterness, and astringency of tea [ 2 ]. In a previous study, harvested tea leaves underwent a processing delay of 6, 12, 18, or 24 h at temperatures of 0, 5, and 25 °C to investigate the effect of postharvest processing and storage of Japanese-style green tea [ 5 ]. Analyzed green tea constituents included theanine, caffeine, and catechins.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As with other agricultural products, proper postharvest storage is critical for tea [ 4 ]. Oxidization reactions change the overall phytochemical composition of tea leaves and alter the organoleptic profile of the final tea product, decreasing its commercial value [ 5 ]. Practices adopted by enterprises typically include chilled temperature storage to preserve sensory and quality components [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The environment, which includes temperature and relative humidity, affects leaf metabolism during the postharvest period [ 6 ]. Many postharvest approaches have been implemented to preserve the freshness of tea leaves, with low temperature storage being the major approach to slow down metabolic activities [ 5 ]. Studies have found that tea leaves have reduced aroma content after plucking, and immediate storage at low temperature can enrich aromatic compounds [ 7 , 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although previous studies have investigated the metabolism of volatiles and other constituents, including theanine, caffeine, and catechins in postharvest tea leaves [ 5 , 8 , 11 ], few studies have integrated metabolic phenotypes and the gene expression analysis of postharvest leaves of Camellia sinensis . Enlightened by the preservation measures of other studies [ 8 ], fresh leaves were divided into two groups: preserved tea leaves (PTL) and unpreserved tea leaves (UTL).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Physiology of Postharvest Tea (Camellia sinensis) Leaves, According to Metabolic Phenotypes and Gene Expression Analysis

Mei

Zheng

et al. 2022

Molecules

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Proper postharvest storage preserves horticultural products, including tea, until they can be processed. However, few studies have focused on the physiology of ripening and senescence during postharvest storage, which affects the flavor and quality of tea. In this study, physiological and biochemical indexes of the leaves of tea cultivar ‘Yinghong 9′ preserved at a low temperature and high relative humidity (15–18 °C and 85–95%, PTL) were compared to those of leaves stored at ambient conditions (24 ± 2 °C and relative humidity of 65% ± 5%, UTL). Water content, chromatism, chlorophyll fluorescence, and key metabolites (caffeine, theanine, and catechins) were analyzed over a period of 24 h, and volatilized compounds were determined after 24 h. In addition, the expression of key biosynthesis genes for catechin, caffeine, theanine, and terpene were quantified. The results showed that water content, chromatism, and chlorophyll fluorescence of preserved leaves were more similar to fresh tea leaves than unpreserved tea leaves. After 24 h, the content of aroma volatiles and caffeine significantly increased, while theanine decreased in both groups. Multiple catechin monomers showed distinct changes within 24 h, and EGCG was significantly higher in preserved tea. The expression levels of CsFAS and CsTSI were consistent with the content of farnesene and theanine, respectively, but TCS1 and TCS2 expression did not correlate with caffeine content. Principal component analysis considered results from multiple indexes and suggested that the freshness of PTL was superior to that of UTL. Taken together, preservation conditions in postharvest storage caused a series of physiological and metabolic variations of tea leaves, which were different from those of unpreserved tea leaves. Comprehensive evaluation showed that the preservation conditions used in this study were effective at maintaining the freshness of tea leaves for 2–6 h. This study illustrates the metabolic changes that occur in postharvest tea leaves, which will provide a foundation for improvements to postharvest practices for tea leaves.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%