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Ultrastructural changes in tea leaves during ‘orthodox’ black tea manufacture
Author(s) -
SELVENDRAN R. R.,
KING N. R.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1976.tb01717.x
Subject(s) - plasmolysis , organelle , biology , ultrastructure , vacuole , chloroplast , cell wall , membrane , palisade cell , botany , cytoplasm , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , gene
SUMMARY Changes in fine structure of upper epidermal and palisade cells of fresh, withered, rolled, ‘fermented’ and ‘fired’ tea leaves have been studied. In the fresh immature leaves, the polyphenols are located mainly in the vacuoles of the first two to three layers of upper palisade cells. Loss of water during withering causes slight disorganization in the fine structure of the organelles. Rolling causes extensive disorganization of the organelles, membranes and cell walls. The chloroplast membranes, which are rich in lipoproteins, rupture and parts of it vesiculate. These controlled and defined changes in fine structure leading to cell death, characterized by cleavage of cell walls in certain areas, rupture of the membranes, organelles and their inclusions, followed by‘cramped plasmolysis’ of cellular contents, throw more light on the biochemical changes that take place during tea manufacture.