Dynamic changes in amino acids, catechins, caffeine and gallic acid in green tea during withering

In order to clarify the relationship between withering process and green tea quality, dynamic changes in the major chemical components of green tea, including amino acids, catechins, caffeine (CAF) and gallic acid (GA), were investigated during withering at different times (ranging from 0 h to 21 h) and temperatures (15, 20 and 25 °C). One-way and two-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) with Duncan's test were used to analyse the change of chemical components. Results showed that during the withering process, contents of most free amino acids increased with increasing withering time and temperature. Theanine (Thea) contents decreased slightly with fluctuations, glutamic acid (Glu) and aspartic acid (Asp) contents presented an increase-decrease pattern, whereas proline (Pro) contents remained almost constant. Total free amino acids increased up to 18 h but declined thereafter. Most catechins decreased with increasing withering time and temperature. In addition, GA contents increased with increasing time and temperature; while CAF contents increased with increasing withering time, but were only slightly correlated with withering temperature. This experiment recommended withering for 15-18 h below 25 °C to produce high quality green tea.