Characteristics and chemical compositions of Pingwu Fuzhuan brick-tea, a distinctive post-fermentation tea in Sichuan province of China

Abstract

Pingwu Fuzhuan brick tea (PWT), a distinctive post-fermentation tea originated from Pingwu region of Sichuan province in China, is a popular "western road" border-selling tea. In this study, we investigated characteristics and chemical compositions of PWT, together with comparing its physicochemical properties with other regions of Fuzhuan brick teas (FBTs). Firstly, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to determine the geographical origin of FBTs, and the profiles of mineral elements were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the differences among FBTs. Results from ICP-MS showed that the compositions of mineral elements from PWT, Hunan FBT (HNT), Shaanxi FBT (SNT), and Guizhou FBT (GZT) were distinctly different. The four different types of FBTs were clearly distinguished according to the results of PCA. Furthermore, all FBT samples were assessed for physicochemical properties and heatmap method was applied to data analysis. It was found that the total colour difference was highly distinct when compared PWT with HNT, SNT and GZT. Moreover, most of contents of biochemical compounds (gallic acid, catechins, free amino acids, alkaloids and volatile components) in PWT were lower compared to others except for total essential amino acids, GABA, aldehydes and acids.

Antioxidant Activity and Main Chemical Components of a Novel Fermented Tea

“…Similarly, Koch and co-workers demonstrated that EGC and EGCG were the two major catechins in several green and black tea samples from different cultivation areas, although they found that the primary catechin in both green and black tea investigated is not EGCG but EGC [14,15]. EGC and EGCG have also been reported to be the major catechins in the final Fuzhuan brick teas samples [16]. The level of EGC in NFT (1013 mg/100 g) was higher than that in LBT (817 mg/100 g), but lower than that in BGT (4020 mg/100 g) and TOT (2604 mg/100 g).…”

Fuzhuan brick tea supplemented with areca nuts: Effects on serum and gut microbiota in mice

“…HFD, which causes an increase in visceral fat deposition, has been identified as a major risk factor for obesity (Hou et al, 2020;Li, et al, 2017;Zhao, et al, 2017). Due to the presence of several polyphenols such as C, EC, EGC, GCG, EGCG, and ECG (Li et al, 2019), the consumption of FT could prevent weight gain and metabolic disorders induced by HFD feeding.…”

Correlation analysis between filamentous fungi and chemical compositions in a pu‐erh type tea after a long‐term storage

“…The macroscopic yellow cleistothecia called “golden flowers” are traditionally judged as a quality standard of Fu‐zhuan tea (Li et al, 2019). Due to the difference in processing techniques, golden flowers were hardly found in solid‐state fermentation of pu‐erh tea.…”