Optimum conditions for the water extraction of L-theanine from green tea

Theanine is a unique non-protein amino acid found in tea (Camellia sinensis). It contributes to the favourable umami taste of tea and is linked to various beneficial effects in humans. There is an increasing interest in theanine as an important component of tea, as an ingredient for novel functional foods and as a dietary supplement. Therefore, optimal conditions for extracting theanine from tea are required for the accurate quantification of theanine in tea and as an efficient first step for its purification. This study examined the effects of four different extraction conditions on the yield of theanine from green tea using water and applied response surface methodology to further optimise the extraction conditions. The results showed that temperature, extraction time, ratio of water-to-tea and tea particle sizes had significant impacts on the extraction yield of theanine. The optimal conditions for extracting theanine from green tea using water were found to be extraction at 80 °C for 30 min with a water-to-tea ratio of 20:1 mL/g and a tea particle size of 0.5-1 mm.     

基于卷积神经网络和近红外光谱的太平猴魁茶产地鉴别分析

太平猴魁茶因其特有的“喉韵”深受广大消费者喜爱,不同产地太平猴魁茶市场价格相差较大,如何实现产地精准鉴别是目前促进绿茶产业发展的关键因素。依赖于人工经验的感官评审方法主观性强、稳定性差,无法应用于实际生产检测过程。作为目前主要的检测分析方法,化学分析方法周期长、检测成本高,而且目前没有用于茶叶产地鉴别的统一标准。近红外光谱（NIR）作为一种无损检测分析方法,具有快速、非破坏性、无污染等特点,但是不同产地太平猴魁茶主要内含成分及其含量基本相同,不同产地样本光谱特征峰分布相似,导致常规分析方法无法有效选择特征变量。卷积神经网络（CNN）作为经典深度学习网络模型之一,具有强特征提取和模型表达能力。采用太平猴魁茶产地光谱特征分析,利用一维卷积神经网络模型（1-D CNN）提取太平猴魁茶NIR特征,提出一种基于1-D CNN和NIR的太平猴魁茶产地鉴别分析方法。试验以6个不同产地共120个样本为研究对象,分析10 000~4 000 cm-1范围内的光谱信息;将样本随机划分为训练集（84,占70%）和测试集（36,占30%）,分别讨论不同间隔采样、网络结构、卷积核大小及激活函数对产地鉴别结果的影响,并引入Dropout方法对比分析模型过拟合现象;最终建立一个具有9层结构的1-D CNN模型。蒙特卡罗试验结果表明,相比于基于原始光谱数据（40.57%,7.06）和PCA方法（31.93%,6.96）的太平猴魁茶产地预测模型准确率和标准差,基于1-D CNN的太平猴魁茶产地鉴别模型预测精度和稳定性更高,其测试集预测准确率平均值和标准差分别为97.73%和3.47。因此,1-D CNN可有效提取太平猴魁茶不同产地NIR特征,提高太平猴魁茶产地鉴别精度,为太平猴魁茶精准产地鉴别及溯源分析提供参考。     

Antiviral Effects of Green Tea EGCG and Its Potential Application against COVID-19

(–)-Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), the most abundant component of catechins in tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze), plays a role against viruses through inhibiting virus invasiveness, restraining gene expression and replication. In this paper, the antiviral effects of EGCG on various viruses, including DNA virus, RNA virus, coronavirus, enterovirus and arbovirus, were reviewed. Meanwhile, the antiviral effects of the EGCG epi-isomer counterpart (+)-gallocatechin-3-O-gallate (GCG) were also discussed.     

White Tea Intake Abrogates Markers of Streptozotocin-Induced Prediabetes Oxidative Stress in Rat Lungs’

Prediabetes (PrDM) is a prodromal stage of diabetes mellitus (DM) with an increasing prevalence worldwide. During DM progression, individuals gradually develop complications in various organs. However, lungs are suggested to be affected later than other organs, such as the eyes, heart or brain. In this work, we studied the effects of PrDM on male Wistar rats’ lungs and whether the regular consumption of white tea (WTEA) for 2 months contributes to the improvement of the antioxidant profile of this tissue, namely through improved activity of the first line defense antioxidant enzymes, the total antioxidant capacity and the damages caused in proteins, lipids and histone H2A. Our data shows that PrDM induced a decrease in lung superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities and histone H2A levels and an increase in protein nitration and lipid peroxidation. Remarkably, the regular WTEA intake improved lung antioxidant enzymes activity and total antioxidant capacity and re-established the values of protein nitration, lipid peroxidation and histone H2A. Overall, this is the first time that lung is reported as a major target for PrDM. Moreover, it is also the first report showing that WTEA possesses relevant chemical properties against PrDM-induced lung dysfunction.     

赣南三地绿茶中微量元素含量的测定

选用了赣南宁都小布岩茶、上犹梅林毛尖茶及定南六台山茶，用火焰原子吸收分光光度法对这三类绿茶中的微量元素Ca、Zn、Mg、Mn、Fe、Cu、Pb的含量进行了测定。方法简单，精密度和灵敏度高，回收率为101％-92％，结果可靠。     

Essential Oils of Sideritis Species of Turkey Belonging to the Section Empedoclia

The paper summarizes the work done on the essential oil content and composition of fifty Sideritis species of Turkey belonging to the section Empedoclia. The water-distilled oils were analyzed by GC/MS. The oils were characterized as having mono- and sesquiterpenoids.     

Ellagitannin Digestion in Moth Larvae and a New Dimeric Ellagitannin from the Leaves of Platycarya strobilacea

Ellagitannins (ETs) are plant polyphenols with various health benefits. Recent studies have indicated that the biological activities of ETs are attributable to their degradation products, including ellagic acid and its gut microflora metabolites, such as urolithins. Insect tea produced in the Guangxi region, China, is made from the frass of moth larvae that feed on the ET-rich leaves of Platycarya strobilacea. Chromatographic separation of the Guangxi insect tea showed that the major phenolic constituents are ellagic acid, brevifolin carboxylic acid, gallic acid, brevifolin, and polymeric polyphenols. Chemical investigation of the feed of the larvae, the fresh leaves of P. strobilacea, showed that the major polyphenols are ETs including pedunculagin, casuarictin, strictinin, and a new ET named platycaryanin E. The new ET was confirmed as a dimer of strictinin having a tergalloyl group. The insect tea and the leaves of P. strobilacea contained polymeric polyphenols, both of which were shown to be composed of ETs and proanthocyanidins by acid hydrolysis and thiol degradation. This study clarified that Guangxi insect tea contains ET metabolites produced in the digestive tract of moth larvae, and the metabolites probably have higher bioavailabilities than the original large-molecular ETs of the leaves of P. strobilacea.     

Comparative Study of Natural Terpenoid Precursors in Reactive Plasmas for Thin Film Deposition

If plasma polymer thin films are to be synthesised from sustainable and natural precursors of chemically heterogeneous composition, it is important to understand the extent to which this composition influences the mechanism of polymerisation. To this end, a well-studied monoterpene alcohol, terpinen-4-ol, has been targeted for a comparative study with the naturally occurring mix of terpenes (viz. Melaleuca alternifolia oil) from which it is commonly distilled. Positive ion mode mass spectra of both terpinen-4-ol and M. alternifolia oil showed a decrease in disparities between the type and abundance of cationic species formed in their respective plasma environments as applied plasma power was increased. Supplementary biological assay revealed the antibacterial action of both terpinen-4-ol and M. alternifolia derived coatings with respect to S. aureus bacteria, whilst cytocompatibility was demonstrated by comparable eukaryotic cell adhesion to both coatings. Elucidating the processes occurring within the reactive plasmas can enhance the economics of plasma polymer deposition by permitting use of the minimum power, time and precursor pre-processing required to control the extent of monomer fragmentation and fabricate a film of the desired thickness and functionality.     

Application of amino‐based chitosan cyclodextrin derivatives for the extraction of catechins in green tea with high‐performance liquid chromatography

Chitosan derivatives have been studied widely, but poor solubility in water restricts their applications. In this study, four types of amine‐based chitosan derivatives were prepared and modified further with beta‐cyclodextrin. The sequential microextraction of catechins ((+)‐catechin and (?)‐epigallocatechin gallate) from green tea powder by an optimized solid‐phase extraction method using these four derivatives was investigated. The optimal conditions for the extraction of catechins were 60°C for a 40 min extraction period. The purity and amount of each catechin were determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The different amines strengthened the extraction capacity of chitosan. Among the four types of amines, ethylene diamine grafted chitosan beta‐cyclodextrin had the highest extraction capacity to catechins. Therefore, this material was used in the extraction assay, and the standard curves of (+)‐catechin and (?)‐epigallocatechin gallate were linear over the concentration range, 0.25–500 µg/mL, after assaying five data points in duplicate. Solid‐phase extraction with the amino‐based chitosan beta‐cyclodextrin system is a new application of chitosan, which has potential applications in the extraction of bioactive compounds from plant materials or the removal of different impurities from specific extracts.     

柠檬果茶中游离态和键合态挥发性成分分析

以柠檬果茶为研究对象,建立了顶空固相微萃取前处理结合气相色谱质谱联用技术测定其中挥发性化合物的分析方法。采用开水冲泡对样品进行提取,通过Amberlite XAD-2大孔吸附树脂对柠檬果茶中的糖苷类挥发性组分键合,分离游离态和键合态化合物,甲醇溶剂作为洗脱剂对键合态化合物进行洗脱,Almondsβ-D-葡萄糖苷酶对其酶解。使用气质联用对样品中游离态和键合态挥发性成分进行检测,其结果根据数据库匹配和对比文献保留时间定性,内标法进行定量。结果表明,柠檬果茶中含有游离态物质24种,键合态物质16种,主要为(+)-柠檬烯、1-辛醇、橙花醇、(-)-4-萜品醇、alpha-松油醇等。方法为花果茶干燥工艺提供参考。