1h Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Reveals Secondary Metabolic Variations of Special Tea (Monsonia Burkeana Planch. Ex Harv) Populations From Three Selected Locations in South Africa

Abstract

The present study was conducted to assess the secondary metabolite profile differences of Monsonia burkeana populations naturally grown at Chuenespoort, Zebediela and Rietondale in South Africa. Three field surveys were conducted on 14 January 2015, 11 January 2016 and 4 May 2016 respectively in Chuenespoort, Zebediela and Rietondale and secondary metabolite profiles of the plants were determined using 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy coupled with principal component analysis (PCA). Leaf samples from three plants per locality in the first survey and fourteen plants per site in subsequent samplings were included in the NMR analysis. Based on 1 H NMR spectroscopy and PCA of secondary metabolite profile data no major differences were detected between the populations except for the first survey where the Zebediela and the Chuenespoort populations were more closely related to each other than the Rietondale population. This study has for the first time determined differences between three plant populations of special tea with regards to secondary metabolite profiles.