Tea (Camellia sinensis) has a long history of medicinal use in the world. The chemical components of tea mainly consist of polyphenols (TPP), proteins, polysaccharides (TPS), chlorophyll, alkaloids, and so on. Great advances have been made in chemical and bioactive studies of catechins and TPP from tea in recent decades. However, the TPS from tea materials have received much less consideration than that of TPP. The number of relevant publications on the TPS from tea leaves and flowers has increased rapidly in recent years. This mini-review summarizes the structure-function relationship of TPS from tea leaves and flowers. The application of purified TPS from tea material as functional or nutritional foods was still little. It will help to develop the function foods with tea TPS and better understand the structure-bioactivity relationship of tea TPS.
Keywords: Camellia sinensis; function; nutrition; polysaccharides; structure.