Genetic Variation of Flavonols Quercetin, Myricetin, and Kaempferol in the Sri Lankan Tea (Camellia sinensisL.) and Their Health-Promoting Aspects

Abstract

Flavonol glycosides in tea leaves have been quantified as aglycones, quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol. Occurrence of the said compounds was reported in fruits and vegetable for a long time in association with the antioxidant potential. However, data on flavonols in tea were scanty and, hence, this study aims to envisage the flavonol content in a representative pool of accessions present in the Sri Lankan tea germplasm. Significant amounts of myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol have been detected in the beverage type tea accessions of the Sri Lankan tea germplasm. This study also revealed that tea is a good source of flavonol glycosides. The Camellia sinensis var. sinensis showed higher content of myricetin, quercetin, and total flavonols than var. assamica and ssp. lasiocalyx. Therefore flavonols and their glycosides can potentially be used in chemotaxonomic studies of tea germplasm. The nonbeverage type cultivars, especially Camellia rosaflora and Camellia japonica Red along with the exotic accessions resembling China type, could be useful in future germplasm studies because they are rich sources of flavonols, namely, quercetin and kaempferol, which are potent antioxidants. The flavonol profiles can be effectively used in choosing parents in tea breeding programmes to generate progenies with a wide range of flavonol glycosides.

Effect of drying methods and parameters on the antioxidant properties of tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves

“…The last two peaks were identified as rutin and myricetin, respectively. The presence of rutin in tea was reported previously by Pękal et al (2011), while Jeganathan et al (2016) reported the presence of myricetin. Furthermore, several other unidentifiable peaks in the studied sample.…”

Cytotoxic Activity of a Black Bean (<I>Phaseolus vulgaris</I> L.) Extract and its Flavonoid Fraction in Both in vitro and in vivo Models of Lymphoma

“…In this study, chromatographic analysis of the FF obtained from the BBE of P. vulgaris L., identified three molecules tea plant (C. sinensis L.) from Sri Lanka but at different concentrations (0.94 mg/g, 1.5 mg/g, and 1.31 mg/g, respectively) 25 ; this plant has been reported to have antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-atherosclerotic, and anti-proliferative properties.…”

Antioxidant, antihypertensive, and anticancer activities of the flavonoid fractions from green, oolong, and black tea infusion waste

“…Different kinds of flavonoids were reported in different types of tea in the related studies. The most common flavonoids aglycones in Sri Lankan tea were quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol (Jeganathan et al, ). In our study, flavonoids quercetins were main compounds found in black tea infusion waste.…”