Untargeted metabolomics reveals differences between commercial and non-commercial Camellia sinensis cultivars used in black tea production

Tea ( Camellia sinensis ) has enthralled both consumers and researchers, due to its taste, aroma and its medicinal attributes. Tea consumers concern themselves with the quality of tea in particular, its taste and aroma based on which consumers are willing to pay premium prices for the best quality teas. The quality of tea is undeniably affected by variations in its metabolite composition. In this study, two groups of black tea cultivars were compared using a metabolomics approach. Data were generated via GC–MS and 1 H-NMR. The GC–MS differentiated between the two groups, based on carbohydrates. The 1 H-NMR differentiated between the two groups, based on caffeine, catechins and amino acids. These metabolites applicability in the discrimination of newly developed cultivars into potentially commercialisable and non-commercialisable groups at an early stage in the tea improvement programme is demonstrated. This may help tea breeders to select promising high quality tea cultivars either for release or further field evaluations.