Lipids: A noteworthy role in better tea quality

• Published in: Food chemistry 2024-01, Vol.431, p.137071-137071, Article 137071
• Main Authors: Huang, Fang-Fang, Yang, Pei-Di, Bai, Si-Lei, Liu, Zhong-Hua, Li, Juan, Huang, Jian-An, Xiong, Li-Gui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Flavor formation; Lipids; Postharvest tea leaves; Preharvest tea leaves
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.137071

•Lipids in materials affect the fresh tea leaves quality and thus the finished tea.•Plucking rounds and appropriate pruning intervals affect flavor index through lipids composition.•Lipid oxidation functions in tea flavor formation of postharvest stages. New shoots from tea plants (Camellia sinensis) are changed into finished tea after the process, which endows the products with a characteristic flavor. Tea quality is reflected in all aspects, from new shoots to the finished tea that are affected by cultivar, cultivation condition, harvest season, manufacturing methods, and quality of fresh tea leaves. Lipids are hydrophobic metabolites connected with tea flavor quality formation. Herein, we emphasize that the lipids composition in preharvest tea leaves is crucial for materials quality and hence tea flavor. The characterization of lipids in preharvest tea leaves provides a reference to obtain better tea quality. Lipids transformation in postharvest stages of tea leaves differs from varieties of tea types, and lipid oxidations functions in the tea flavor formation. A comprehensive overview of the lipids in tea leaves of preharvest and postharvest stages is necessary to improve tea quality.