Quantification of γ-aminobutyric acid in Sri Lankan tea by means of Ultra Performance Tandem Mass Spectrometry

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), an important bioactive component of tea, acts as a major inhibitory neurotransmitter and is considered to influence other physiological processes in human as well as in planta. In the hereby presented study, the content of this valuable metabolite was investigated in two novel types of Ceylon Tea, explicitly “Silver Tips” and “White Tea”, originating from minimally processed buds of the unique cultivar, “TRI 2043”. The samples were subjected to hot water infusion, equivalent to the traditional beverage preparation procedure, and analyzed by means of hydrophilic interaction ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC LC-MS/MS). The registered GABA levels were compared with those obtained for the classic “Black Tea” and “Green Tea” samples from Sri Lanka. A high variation of GABA content was observed among the different tea types, especially in the case of “Silver Tips” and “White Tea”, indicating the crucial influence of the manufacturing procedure (processing extent) on the final abundance of the bioactive component of interest. Furthermore, “White Tea” samples boasted the highest GABA concentration reported for this type of tea so far, reaching up to 50% of that characteristic of the high-priced “GABA Tea”. Therefore, “White Tea” and “Silver Tips” were proved to be high quality teas with amounts of γ-aminobutyric acid comparable with those described for similar types before. To our knowledge, this is the first report on HILIC LC-MS/MS application for the quantification of GABA and for in-depth characterization of teas from Sri Lanka