Ku2: A Novel Korean Purple-Green Tea Germplasm (<i>Camellia sinensis</i>) with Enhanced Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity.

ABSTRACT: Although colored-leaf tea germplasms can broaden product diversity and functional potential, such resources have been rarely reported in Korea. Herein, we comprehensively characterized Ku2, a newly discovered purple-green line of Camellia sinensis, and benchmarked it against the conventional green-leaf 'Sangmok'. Five-year-old plants grown under identical open-field conditions were evaluated for growth characteristics, leaf pigmentation, biochemical composition, and antioxidant capacity. Ku2 exhibited a more vigorous growth habit with denser branching and produced leaves that were 11% longer and 17% wider than those of 'Sangmok', but chlorophyll concentrations were 29-33% lower. Young shoots of Ku2 in the first flush accumulated markedly higher levels of total polyphenols (+38%), an

SUBMITTER: Kwon YS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12430521 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature