Nonvolatile metabolism in postharvest tea (Camellia sinensis L.) leaves: Effects of different withering treatments on nonvolatile metabolites, gene expression levels, and enzyme activity

Abstract

The influence mechanism of different withering methods (CK, indoor natural spreading; LTD, low-temperature plus dark; LTY, low-temperature plus yellow-light; LTCD, low-temperature plus CO₂) on non-volatile compounds in postharvest tea leaves was investigated by UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS-based non-targeted metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses. Compared with CK, low-temperature withering could slow down polyphenol oxidation by inhibiting polyphenol oxidase activity and keeping the expression of genes for flavanol synthesis. After withering, the proteinaceous amino acid content increased significantly, especially for LTCD and LTY, mainly due to increased peptidase activity and up-regulation of genes involved in the biosynthesis of valine, leucine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, phenylalanine, and proline. Moreover, LTCD and LTY enhanced the synthesis of γ-aminobutyric acid and metabolism of phenylalanine-methyl salicylate and tryptophan-indole, respectively. Meanwhile, the transformation of theobromine to caffeine was accelerated under low-temperature withering. This research provides ageneticmetabolicbasis for the application of low-temperature withering to actual green tea processing.

Keywords: Green tea; Low-temperature withering; Nonvolatile metabolism; Taste quality; UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS.