Tentative identification, quantitation, and principal component analysis of green pu-erh, green, and white teas using UPLC/DAD/MS
Author: Yang Zhao and Pei Chen and Longze Lin and J.M. Harnly and Liangli (Lucy) Yu and Zhangwan Li
Tea (Camellia sinensis L.), an important drink and a natural medicine for thousands of years, contains many health beneficial compounds. Growing season, geographical region, and fermentation methods create many variations in tea compositions, which contribute to each tea’s uniqueness. In this study, a simple, rapid, and efficient ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method combined with diode array detector (DAD) and mass spectroscopic (MS) detection and chemometrics analysis was used to analyse three different types of teas (green pu-erh, green tea, white tea). Using the developed method, 68 compounds were identified and 54 were quantified based on retention times, UV spectra, and MS spectra by referencing to available standards and data in the literatures. The results showed the chemical differences between the tested teas. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to classify and distinguish between tea samples.
