Microbes appear to influence how well tea plants absorb nutrients
Artur Szymczyk/Alamy
Tweaking the microbial community at the base of the tea plant could make your favorite tea taste even better.
Just as the bacteria that live in our guts influence our health, the microbes that live in and around plant roots play a role in how plants absorb nutrients from the soil. Masu. But little is known about their effects on tea flavor and nutritional content, he says. Yang Zhenbiao At the University of California, Riverside.
To learn more, Yang and his colleagues collected and analyzed tea plants (Camellia sinensis) is grown in Fujian Province, China. Researchers found that certain soil microorganisms are involved in increased nitrogen uptake, which increases the production of a chemical called theanine in plant roots, resulting in increased production of a chemical called theanine, especially in the leaves of a variety called Roguey. It turns out that the level has increased.
Theanine adds a rich flavor to beer, and the amount of theanine contained is considered an important indicator of the quality of tea. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can counteract the stimulant effects of caffeine, Yang says.
In the next step of the study, the researchers extracted the 21 most beneficial microorganisms for theanine from the soil and generated a custom microbial community. Its composition was very similar to that found naturally around Logi.
When this mixture was applied to the roots of other types of tea plants, theanine levels were increased even in the roots of tea plants grown in nitrogen-poor soils. “Not only does it have great health benefits, but it also improves the sweetness and flavor of the tea,” says Yang.
The research team hopes that the customized microbial community could be used in the future to perfect the quality of tea and improve the nutritional value of other plants such as rice.
“Improving nitrogen absorption efficiency can also reduce dependence on fertilizers, which could also have a major impact on the future of agriculture,” says Yang.
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Source: www.newscientist.com
