Compositional changes in chlorophylls and carotenoids during the four flushes of tea in North East India

Abstract

Abstract The quantitative changes of two pigments, chlorophylls a and b, and four major carotenoids, β‐carotene, lutein, violaxanthine and neoxanthine, were investigated during four flushes of North East Indian plain teas from a deep skiffed area between April and October 1982. The tea flushes with different genetic properties were taken fromn from various Tocklai‐released clones: TV‐1 ( Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze), TV‐2 ( C. assamica (Masters) Wight), TV‐9 ( C. assamica ‘Cambod’) and TV‐17 ( C. sinensis , hybrid). They showed marked changes in these pigment constituents throughout the plucking period, which affected the organoleptic property of the black tea produced.