Before the Ming Dynasty, tea had a refreshing taste, but in late spring, this flavor quickly disappears. What is the reason for this? Professor Zhang Liangliang's team from the National Key Laboratory of Tea Germplasm Innovation and Resource Utilization at Anhui Agricultural University has solved this long-standing puzzle that has plagued the tea industry. The study not only uncovered the mystery of theanine metabolism in tea trees, but also provided new ideas for flavor improvement in other crops. The relevant results were recently published in the international academic journal Plant Cells. The key to the freshness and freshness of Mingqian tea lies in the presence of theanine in the tea leaves. This substance accounts for 1% -2% of the dry weight of early spring tea and more than 50% of the free amino acids in tea. Theanine not only has a umami taste similar to monosodium glutamate, but also balances the bitter taste of catechins and caffeine in tea leaves. But as the temperature rises after Qingming Festival, the content of theanine in tea drops by more than 50%, which is the reason why the taste of late spring tea is greatly reduced. Researchers from the National Key Laboratory of Tea Germplasm Innovation and Resource Utilization have captured for the first time the entire process of theanine disappearance. They found that there was a special "theanine transport leader" on the mitochondrial membrane of tea tree cells - CsTHS1 protein. It will deliver theanine to mitochondria like a courier. There, the "decomposer" CsGGT2 enzyme breaks down theanine, and thus the umami substance is "metabolized". Zhang Guangliang believes that this research is expected to help researchers find solutions to make tea taste long-lasting, thereby promoting the better development of the tea industry. In the future, we can precisely cultivate tea tree varieties that will allow the 'transportation team leader' to strike, develop specialized fertilizers that make it difficult for theanine to be decomposed, or adopt intelligent cultivation methods, so that late spring tea can also have the freshness and freshness of pre Ming tea, "said Zhang Liangliang. (New Society)