| Abstract: | The proportions of fatty acids, viz lauric, myristic, palmitic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic, in tea leaf, Camellia sinensis (L) O Kuntze, were determined at different stages of manufacture as well as in Mack tea. No significant variations were observed in the fatty acid contents of three major cultivars, Assam, China and Cambod. However, some variations were noticeable in leaf cropped in different months. Manufacturing stages have a pronounced effect on the relative proportions of the various fatty acids. Monthly distribution of total lipid was also followed in tea leaf, and the pattern of variation observed was identical for all the three cultivars. |
