Comparison of catechins and purine alkaloids in albino and normal green tea cultivars (Camellia sinensis L.) by HPLC

The variations in the contents of catechins and purine alkaloids in relation to the chlorophyll contents in albino tea cultivar ‘Anji baicha’ and normal cultivar ‘Longjing 43’, grown in Anji and Guilin, were determined. The results showed that, compared to ‘Anji baicha’, ‘Longjing 43’ had significantly higher (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (−)-epicatechin (EC), (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), theobromine and caffeine contents in Anji, and significantly higher (+)-catechin (C), ECG and caffeine contents in Guilin. ‘Anji baicha’ only had C content significantly higher than ‘Longjing 43’ in Anji. Correlation analysis indicated that C, EGC and (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) were significantly and negatively correlated with chlorophyll contents, suggesting that chlorophylls might play vital roles in the regulation of catechin biosynthesis. Moreover, no significant correlation was observed between purine alkaloids and chlorophylls, indicating that the biosynthesis of purine alkaloids might be affected by genotypic factors other than chlorophyll biosynthesis.