Metabolite Profiling of 14 Wuyi Rock Tea Cultivars Using UPLC-QTOF MS and UPLC-QqQ MS Combined with Chemometrics
Si Chen,
Meihong Li,
Gongyu Zheng,
Tingting Wang,
Jun Lin,
Shanshan Wang,
Xiaxia Wang,
Qianlin Chao,
Shixian Cao,
Zhenbiao Yang,
Xiaomin Yu
Affiliations
Si Chen
College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Meihong Li
College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Gongyu Zheng
College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Tingting Wang
College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Jun Lin
FAFU-UCR Joint Center for Horticultural Biology and Metabolomics, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Shanshan Wang
FAFU-UCR Joint Center for Horticultural Biology and Metabolomics, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Xiaxia Wang
FAFU-UCR Joint Center for Horticultural Biology and Metabolomics, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Qianlin Chao
Wuyi Star Tea Industry Co., Ltd., Wuyishan 354300, China
Shixian Cao
Wuyi Star Tea Industry Co., Ltd., Wuyishan 354300, China
Zhenbiao Yang
College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Xiaomin Yu
College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Wuyi Rock tea, well-recognized for rich flavor and long-lasting fragrance, is a premium subcategory of oolong tea mainly produced in Wuyi Mountain and nearby regions of China. The quality of tea is mainly determined by the chemical constituents in the tea leaves. However, this remains underexplored for Wuyi Rock tea cultivars. In this study, we investigated the leaf metabolite profiles of 14 major Wuyi Rock tea cultivars grown in the same producing region using UPLC-QTOF MS and UPLC-QqQ MS with data processing via principal component analysis and cluster analysis. Relative quantitation of 49 major metabolites including flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins, flavonol glycosides, flavone glycosides, flavonone glycosides, phenolic acid derivatives, hydrolysable tannins, alkaloids and amino acids revealed clear variations between tea cultivars. In particular, catechins, kaempferol and quercetin derivatives were key metabolites responsible for cultivar discrimination. Information on the varietal differences in the levels of bioactive/functional metabolites, such as methylated catechins, flavonol glycosides and theanine, offers valuable insights to further explore the nutritional values and sensory qualities of Wuyi Rock tea. It also provides potential markers for tea plant fingerprinting and cultivar identification.
