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Scientifically Speaking | From soil to sip: How microbes are taking tea to new heights

ByAnirban Mahapatra
Feb 19, 2024 06:42 PM IST

A new study reveals soil microbes' crucial role in enhancing tea flavour. Here's how this could transform cultivation practices and sustainability efforts.

As someone who enjoys sipping on hot tea, I admit to being somewhat of a tea snob. My idea of a perfect cup? A floral-scented Darjeeling, its leaves kissed by the steam of freshly boiled water, untouched by sugar or milk—a pure experience worthy of its moniker as the “Champagne of teas.” There’s nothing quite like its exquisite muscatel flavour that comes from the meticulous care of tea shrubs in the hilly gardens of the foothills of the Himalayas in my home state.

It's no secret that the environment in which tea grows plays a pivotal role in its quality(Pixabay) PREMIUM
It's no secret that the environment in which tea grows plays a pivotal role in its quality(Pixabay)

It's no secret that the environment in which tea grows plays a pivotal role in its quality. And we know that it’s not just the altitude or climate - there’s much to be gleaned from the terroir too. Researchers are finding that tiny soil microbes influence a type of tea's particular flavour profile. This journey into the roots of tea plants reveals a complex interaction between microbes and tea chemistry.

A group of scientists in China led by Zhenbiao Yang, Wenxin Tang, and Tongda Xu delved into the soil of tea gardens to uncover a remarkable story. Publishing their work on February 15 in the scientific journal Current Biology, they found that tiny life forms invisible to the naked eye that live in the soil around tea plant roots play a crucial role in crafting the perfect brew. These microbes help the tea plant maintain a balanced level of nitrogen—a vital nutrient that the plants need to grow healthy and strong. This delicate balance, known as nitrogen homeostasis, is key to the production of theanine, an amino acid that is responsible for much of the distinctive umami flavour of tea that we can’t get enough of.

Scientists have long known that levels of theanine, an amino acid found primarily in green and black tea with health benefits, vary across different tea varieties and growing conditions, contributing significantly to tea quality. However, the relationship between tea plants and their root microbes in theanine production remained a mystery until now. By analysing microbial populations in the roots of various tea plants across seasons, the researchers found that certain microbes are particularly good at enhancing ammonia uptake in tea plants, leading to increased synthesis of theanine.

The researchers then used this knowledge of what happens in nature to develop a synthetic microbial community. A synthetic microbial community is a carefully selected group of microbes that are put together as a custom-built team to work together towards a common goal. In this case, the goal is to mimic the beneficial microbial environment of high-theanine-producing tea plants.

What the researchers found is that their synthetic microbial community did indeed significantly increase theanine content in tea plants (at least for the tea strains they tested). This indicates there might be a new way to improve tea quality through managing microbes in the soil, rather than the use of chemical fertilisers. That’s infusing flavour through the power of tiny microbes!

This doesn’t mean we’ll see use of this technique overnight. There are legitimate questions about how scalable using microbial communities to enhance tea flavour might be when we’re talking about large gardens. But if these results hold out after further testing, we might have high-quality artisanal batches of tea from more sustainable cultivation practices that prioritise quality and environmental health.

Imagine that soil microbes can be tweaked to enhance the natural characteristics of a Darjeeling or any other tea. Tea producers who adopt microbial management techniques to improve tea quality would be able to differentiate their products. This could open up a whole new segment of the premium tea market, for snobs like me, willing to pay more for superior flavour and sustainably produced teas.

Now, that calls for another cup of tea.

Anirban Mahapatra is a scientist and author. His second popular science book, When The Drugs Don’t Work: The Hidden Pandemic That Could End Medicine, will be published this year. The views expressed are personal.

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