LAUSR

BACKGROUND Ginkgo biloba leaves contain beneficial flavonoids, bilobalide (BB), and ginkgolides. However, the toxic ginkgolic acid (GA) limit its application. In this study, various traditional processing methods were used to prepareGinkgo biloba leaftea (GBLT), including white tea, black tea, dark tea, green tea, and freeze-dried as control, followed by investigations of their effects on quality, antioxidant capacity, bioactive components,andcytotoxicity of the tea products. RESULTS Results showed that different processing methods significantly impact the tea products' quality indexes and the principal component analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) corroborated it. White teahad the highest total sugar (TS) and GAcontent and the most potent cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells.However, TS and GAcontent and the cytotoxicity ofGBLT markedly decreased during fermentation and fixation. Moreover, white teapossessed higher total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and more vigorous antioxidant activities than green tea, black tea, and dark tea.Terpene trilactonesvalue was stable, but different catechins contents fluctuated according to the manufacturing process of different GBLTs. Among the four GBLTs, dark tea combining fixation and fermentation had the lowest GAcontent and cytotoxicity, less bioactive components reduction, appropriate quality, and stronger flavor. CONCLUSION These findings demonstrate that fixation and fermentation help reduceGAs during the manufacturing of GBLTs.However, their ability to retain bioactive substances needs further optimization in future studies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.