Toniolo Chiara, Patriarca Adriano, De Vita Daniela, Santi Luca, Sciubba Fabio
Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Department of Chemistry, University of Rome Sapienza, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Plants (Basel). 2025 May 27;14(11):1631. doi: 10.3390/plants14111631.
Matcha, a finely powdered green tea, has been cherished in Japan for centuries, used in the traditional tea ceremony and nowadays also valued for its health-promoting properties. Cultivated under shaded conditions to enhance chlorophyll production, which gives the typical vibrant green color, matcha is rich in important bioactive compounds, including caffeine, catechins, and theanine. This study analyzes three matcha grades-ceremonial grade 1 (G1), grade 4 (G4), and food grade (FG)-to assess variations in their metabolite profiles. The Bligh-Dyer method was employed to extract polar and non-polar metabolites from organic and hydroalcoholic phases. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) was used for qualitative metabolite analysis, while nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was employed for both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Results reveal a decreasing gradient of amino acids and caffeine from grade 1 to food grade, while other metabolites, such as polyphenols, display an increasing trend. These findings suggest that factors such as harvesting time and leaf maturity significantly influence matcha's chemical composition, providing a scientific basis for its quality differentiation and potential nutraceutical uses.
抹茶是一种精细研磨的绿茶，在日本备受珍视已有数百年之久，它被用于传统茶道，如今还因其促进健康的特性而受到重视。抹茶在遮荫条件下种植以增加叶绿素的产量，从而赋予其典型的鲜绿色，它富含重要的生物活性化合物，包括咖啡因、儿茶素和茶氨酸。本研究分析了三种抹茶等级——一级礼宾级（G1）、四级（G4）和食品级（FG）——以评估它们代谢物谱的差异。采用布莱-戴尔法从有机相和水醇相中提取极性和非极性代谢物。高效薄层色谱法（HPTLC）用于代谢物的定性分析，而核磁共振（NMR）光谱法用于定性和定量分析。结果显示，从一级到食品级，氨基酸和咖啡因的含量呈递减梯度，而其他代谢物，如多酚，则呈上升趋势。这些发现表明，收获时间和叶片成熟度等因素会显著影响抹茶的化学成分，为其质量区分和潜在的营养保健用途提供了科学依据。
