Volatile profiles and antioxidant activity of different cultivars of Camellia sinensis var. assamica grown in Thailand

Abstract

Tea is considered as the most consumed drink in the world containing high antioxidant capacity. In this study, the volatile compounds, the phenolic content, catechins and caffeine including antioxidant activities of 22 Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Assam tea) cultivars were investigated. The volatile compounds were investigated by GC-MS. At least forty-five volatile compounds representing 94.99-99.65% of all cultivars were identified. Limonene, trans-linalool oxide, cis-linalool oxide, linalool, and furfural were detected as the major components among these cultivars. Varied ranges were found in all Assam tea cultivars for the contents of phenolics (113.45-245.55 mg gallic acid/g dry weight), total catechins (170.03-355.59 mg/g dry weight), caffeine (0.92-3.40 mg/g dry weight), and antioxidant activities (1418.68-2728.46 µmol Trolox/g dry weight and 1448.98-2864.17 µmol Trolox/g dry weight for DPPH and ABTS assay, respectively). The antioxidant activity was correlated with phenolic compounds such as epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, and catechin gallate. The specific differences among Assam tea cultivars are dependent on the tea cultivar and altitude which may play a significant role in breeding Assam tea cultivars in Thailand for providing its potential health benefits.