Abstract:This study aimed to explore the effect of cultivars and seasons on the biochemical components variation of Camellia sinensis var. assamica in Yunnan, providing a theoretical basis for the selection of cultivars and seasons of tea harvesting and processing. Five cultivars of Camellia sinensis var. assamica cv. Yunkang 10, Camellia sinensis var. assamica cv. Yunkang 14, Camellia sinensis var. assamica cv. Xueya 100, Camellia sinensis var. assamica cv. Foxiang 2 and Camellia sinensis var. assamica cv. Zijuan were used in this study. One bud and two leaves of new shoot were collected and steamed in spring, summer and autumn, respectively. The seasonal variation of main biochemical components of five cultivars was investigated, including water content, water extract, tea polyphenols, amino acids, and caffeine. The biochemical components of different tea varieties were measured and compared. The results showed that the content of total catechin of Camellia sinensis var. assamica cv. Zijuan was higher than other cultivars, and its epigallocatechin contents was significantly higher than that of other cultivars. The highest content of water extract and catechin quality index were observed in Camellia sinensis var. assamica cv. Yunkang 10. The content of amino acid in spring tea was the highest, which was even higher than the threshold of famous qualified green tea. The contents of water, caffeine, catechin(C) and the total of catechin in summer tea were significantly higher than those in other seasons. The content of polyphenols in tea collected in autumn was the highest, while the total contents of amino acids and catechin were significantly lower than those in other seasons. The biochemical components of tea showed significant differences among different cultivars and different seasons. The suitability of tea processing can be studied according to the differences of biochemical components and combined with the practice.
