About the Content of Pigments, Phenolic Compounds and Antiradical Activity of Young Tea Shoots (Camellia Sinensis L.)

Abstract

The data on the morphophysiological characteristics of young three-leaf shoots (flashes, the first collection wave) of Camellia sinensis L. cultivars Kolhida and Kimyn, cultivated in the conditions of Russia subtropics (Krasnodar region, Sochi), the accumulation of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls a and b), phenolic compounds, including flavanes, and antiradical activity of extracts obtained from them are presented. It has been shown that the Kolhida cultivar is characterized by the formation of larger leaves compared to those of the Kimyn cultivar, as well as a high accumulation of photosynthetic pigments in them. At the same time, in the leaves of both tea representatives, the total content of chlorophylls a and b was higher compared with the stems. A similar tendency is characteristic for the accumulation of the phenolic compounds sum and flavanes, whereas the number of proanthocyanidins (soluble and insoluble) in the stems exceeded that in the leaves by 2–3 times. Both cultures had the same ability to form all forms of phenolic compounds, which is consistent with the data on the activity of L- phenylalanine ammonia-lyase – the key enzyme of their metabolism. It was established that the antiradical activity of extracts obtained from tea leaves was, on average, 30–40% higher than that of the stems and correlated with the content of phenolic compounds in them.