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Published on: June 10, 2022
Potential of tea seeds as new functional raw materials: Comprehensive analysis of main nutrient substances and active
Yali Chang1, Yinyin Zhou1, Xi Wang2
1Tea Science College, Xinyang Agriculture and Forestry University, Xinyang, Henan, China; Henan Key Laboratory of Tea-plants Comprehensive Utilization in Southern Henan Province, Xinyang, Henan, China; Henan Engineering Technology Research Center for Tea Processing and Testing, Xinyang, Henan, China; Henan Engineering Technology Center for High-value Utilization of Waste Tea Resources in Tea Garden, Xinyang, Henan, China; Dabie Mountain Laboratory, Xinyang, Henan, China.
Abstract:
The limited information regarding the chemical components of tea seeds hinders the development and utilization. This study comprehensively analyzed the main nutrients and active ingredients in tea seeds to evaluate the potential as functional raw material. The fat content in tea seeds was higher, while the levels of ash, protein, and moisture were comparable to those in grape seeds, additionally, their fatty acid composition and polyphenol profile were equally superior. Furthermore, several tea cultivars exhibiting stronger fruiting ability and superior chemical composition in their seeds were identified. Among these, seed kernels of Camellia sinensis cv. Zhonghuang 1 exhibited higher contents of linoleic acid (C18:2Δ9,12), eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5Δ5,8,11,14,17) and taxifolin compared to the other six cultivars in hierarchical clustering analysis. This study not only provided a data foundation for the development of tea seeds as functional raw material, but also identified several promising cultivars for advancing the tea seed industry.
