Genotypic variation of beta-carotene and lutein contents in tea germplasms, Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze

Tea is the most popular non-alcoholic healthy beverage in the world, and its water-soluble components such as polyphenols hold important benefits for human health. The lipid-soluble components such as beta-carotene and lutein, however, have not yet been utilized. In order to assess the possibility in using tea leaves as a new source of natural carotenoids, beta-carotene and lutein contents were estimated in new spring shoots of different genotypes and leaf positions of tea plant (Camellia sinensis) using a reverse-phase HPLC approach. There was no significant difference among the three assessed tea varieties (C. sinensis var. sinensis, var. assamica and var. pubilimba) from four different countries (p = 0.549 and 0.092, respectively). But significant differences were found among different leaf positions (maturity). The highest levels of beta-carotene (343.2 mg/kg) and lutein (232.0 mg/kg) were found in C. sinensis var. assamica and, highest coefficient of variation was present in C. sinensis var. sinensis (44.3%). The highest level of beta-carotene content and lutein contents were 42.1 and 16.3 times higher than the lowest among the studied 119 germplasms, respectively. Furthermore, contents of beta-carotene and lutein in mature leaves were higher than young leaves and stems. The results showed that tea may have potential as a new source of carotenoids.