Magnesium Supplementation Alters Leaf Metabolic Pathways for Higher Flavor Quality of Oolong Tea
Oolong tea, one of the most famous tea beverages in China, contains specialized metabolites contributing to rich flavors and human health. Accumulation patterns of such metabolites and underlying regulatory mechanisms significantly vary under different growth conditions. To optimize quality and yiel...
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| author | Jiuliang Xu Liangquan Wu Bingxin Tong Jiaxu Yin Zican Huang Wei Li Xuexian Li |
| author_facet | Jiuliang Xu Liangquan Wu Bingxin Tong Jiaxu Yin Zican Huang Wei Li Xuexian Li |
| author_sort | Jiuliang Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Oolong tea, one of the most famous tea beverages in China, contains specialized metabolites contributing to rich flavors and human health. Accumulation patterns of such metabolites and underlying regulatory mechanisms significantly vary under different growth conditions. To optimize quality and yield while minimizing environmental effects, three treatments were designed in this study: Conventional fertilization, optimized fertilization, and optimized fertilization supplemented with magnesium (Mg). We investigated the yield, taste quality, primary and secondary metabolites of oolong tea, and found that a substantial reduction in chemical fertilizers (nutrient optimization by reducing 43% N, 58% P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> and 55% K<sub>2</sub>O) did not affect the tea yield in this study. Interestingly, Mg fertilization is an important factor influencing amino acid and sugar accumulation in oolong tea, resulting in higher concentrations of total free amino acids and a lower ratio of tea polyphenols (TP) to free amino acids (FAA). Gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) combined multivariate analyses revealed distinct features of metabolite accumulation in leaves of three different treatments, as indicated by 34 differentially accumulated characteristic compounds. The levels of serine, aspartic acid, isoleucine, phenylalanine, theanine, and proline were reduced by fertilizer optimization and increased by Mg supplementation. Mg particularly promoted theanine accumulation favoring a stronger umami taste of oolong tea, while decreasing astringency and bitter metabolites. Thus, Mg application paves a new path for tea quality improvement in Southern China where Mg deficiency in the soil is a frequent limiting factor for crop production. |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:03:16Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
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| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-5861237146374342a7feee29bf6aea212023-12-03T12:07:11ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722021-02-0111212010.3390/agriculture11020120Magnesium Supplementation Alters Leaf Metabolic Pathways for Higher Flavor Quality of Oolong TeaJiuliang Xu0Liangquan Wu1Bingxin Tong2Jiaxu Yin3Zican Huang4Wei Li5Xuexian Li6The Key Plant-Soil Interaction Laboratory, Department of Plant Nutrition, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaInternational Magnesium Institute, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, ChinaThe Key Plant-Soil Interaction Laboratory, Department of Plant Nutrition, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaInternational Magnesium Institute, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, ChinaInternational Magnesium Institute, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, ChinaFujian Key Laboratory of Agro-Product Quality and Safety, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350003, ChinaThe Key Plant-Soil Interaction Laboratory, Department of Plant Nutrition, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaOolong tea, one of the most famous tea beverages in China, contains specialized metabolites contributing to rich flavors and human health. Accumulation patterns of such metabolites and underlying regulatory mechanisms significantly vary under different growth conditions. To optimize quality and yield while minimizing environmental effects, three treatments were designed in this study: Conventional fertilization, optimized fertilization, and optimized fertilization supplemented with magnesium (Mg). We investigated the yield, taste quality, primary and secondary metabolites of oolong tea, and found that a substantial reduction in chemical fertilizers (nutrient optimization by reducing 43% N, 58% P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> and 55% K<sub>2</sub>O) did not affect the tea yield in this study. Interestingly, Mg fertilization is an important factor influencing amino acid and sugar accumulation in oolong tea, resulting in higher concentrations of total free amino acids and a lower ratio of tea polyphenols (TP) to free amino acids (FAA). Gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) combined multivariate analyses revealed distinct features of metabolite accumulation in leaves of three different treatments, as indicated by 34 differentially accumulated characteristic compounds. The levels of serine, aspartic acid, isoleucine, phenylalanine, theanine, and proline were reduced by fertilizer optimization and increased by Mg supplementation. Mg particularly promoted theanine accumulation favoring a stronger umami taste of oolong tea, while decreasing astringency and bitter metabolites. Thus, Mg application paves a new path for tea quality improvement in Southern China where Mg deficiency in the soil is a frequent limiting factor for crop production.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/2/120oolong teaoptimized fertilizationmagnesiumtaste qualitymetabolomics |
| spellingShingle | Jiuliang Xu Liangquan Wu Bingxin Tong Jiaxu Yin Zican Huang Wei Li Xuexian Li Magnesium Supplementation Alters Leaf Metabolic Pathways for Higher Flavor Quality of Oolong Tea Agriculture oolong tea optimized fertilization magnesium taste quality metabolomics |
| title | Magnesium Supplementation Alters Leaf Metabolic Pathways for Higher Flavor Quality of Oolong Tea |
| title_full | Magnesium Supplementation Alters Leaf Metabolic Pathways for Higher Flavor Quality of Oolong Tea |
| title_fullStr | Magnesium Supplementation Alters Leaf Metabolic Pathways for Higher Flavor Quality of Oolong Tea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Magnesium Supplementation Alters Leaf Metabolic Pathways for Higher Flavor Quality of Oolong Tea |
| title_short | Magnesium Supplementation Alters Leaf Metabolic Pathways for Higher Flavor Quality of Oolong Tea |
| title_sort | magnesium supplementation alters leaf metabolic pathways for higher flavor quality of oolong tea |
| topic | oolong tea optimized fertilization magnesium taste quality metabolomics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/2/120 |
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