Comparison of volatile profiles and bioactive components of sun-dried Pu-erh tea leaves from ancient tea plants on Bulang Mountain measured by GC-MS and HPLC

To explore the volatile profiles and the contents of ten bioactive components(polyphenols and caffeine) of sun-dried Pu-erh tea leaves from ancient tea plants on Bulang Mountain,17 samples of three tea varieties were analyzed by headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(HS-SPME-GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).A total of 75 volatile components were tentatively identified.Laomaner(LME),Laobanzhang(LBZ),and other teas on Bulang Mountain(BL) contained 70,53,and 71 volatile compounds,respectively.Among the volatile compounds,alcohols(30.2%-45.8%),hydrocarbons(13.7%-17.5%),and ketones(12.4%-23.4%) were qualitatively the most dominant volatile compounds in the different tea varieties.The average content of polyphenol was highest in LME(102.1 mg/g),followed by BL(98.7 mg/g) and LBZ(88.0 mg/g),while caffeine showed the opposite trend,27.3 mg/g in LME,33.5 mg/g in BL,and 38.1 mg/g in LBZ.Principal component analysis applied to both the volatile compounds and ten bioactive components showed a poor separation of samples according to varieties,while partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) showed satisfactory discrimination.Thirty-four volatile components and five bioactive compounds were selected as major discriminators(variable importance in projection(VIP)>1) among the tea varieties.These results suggest that chromatographic data combined with multivariate analysis could provide a useful technique to characterize and distinguish the sun-dried Pu-erh tea leaves from ancient tea varieties on Bulang Mountain.

Understanding the excretion rates of methylmercury and inorganic mercury from human body via hair and fingernails

Effective biomarkers are necessary to better understand the human mercury(Hg) exposure levels. However, mismatched biomarker sampling method causes extra uncertainty in assessing the risk of Hg exposure. To compare the differences between hair and fingernail, and further understand the excretion rates of methylmercury(MeHg) and inorganic mercury(IHg) via hair and fingernails, the total mercury(THg), Me Hg, and IHg concentrations in paired hair and fingernail samples were investigated through paired samples collected from two typical mining areas, Wanshan mercury mine area(WMMA) and Hezhang zinc smelting area(HZSA). The positive correlation in THg, MeHg, and IHg concentrations( p < 0.01) between hair and fingernail samples indicated that those two biomarkers can be corrected in application of assessing human Hg exposure. Compared to fingernails, the hair was suggested to be a more sensitive biomarker as the concentration of THg, MeHg and IHg were 2~4 times higher than those in fingernails. Furthermore, the amounts of THg, MeHg, and IHg excreted via hair were 70~226 times higher than that excreted via fingernails, and the hair plays a more important role than fingernails in the excretion of Hg from human bodies. Present study therefore provides some new insights to better understand the fate of human assimilated Hg.