Analysis of Differences in Biochemical Components Between Yunnan and Kenya Tea Tree Varieties

With 16 Yunnan tea tree varieties and 5 Kenya tea tree varieties as test materials,the differences in biochemical components between Yunnan and Kenya tea tree varieties were compared and analyzed.The results showed that the coefficients of variation of tea polyphenols,amino acids,caffeine,water extract,gallic acid(GA),catechin(C),epicatechin(EC),epicatechin gallate(ECG),epigallocatechin(EGC),epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG)and total catechins in Yunnan tea tree varieties were greater than those in Kenyan tea trees.The contents of tea polyphenols,amino acids,caffeine,water extract,C,EC,EGC,EGCG and total catechins in Yunnan tea tree varieties had no significant differences from those in Kenyan tea trees varieties(P>0.05),while there were significant differences in the contents of GA and ECG between Yunnan tea tree varieties and Kenya tea tree varieties(P<0.05).Therefore,it could be predicted that GA and ECG might be one of the main characteristics of the differences in biochemical components between Yunnan tea tree varieties and Kenyan tea tree varieties.The cluster analysis results showed that when the genetic distance was 15,the 21 tested tea varieties could be divided into three groups with obvious biochemical differences.