EUROPEAN-SEED.COM I EUROPEAN SEED I 29 ES: DO YOU BREED FOR TOLERANCE TO ABIOTIC STRESS (E.G. DROUGHT)? IF SO, WHICH STRESSES? RC: Due to global climatic changes, the frequency, longevity and severity of drought have increased especially in the traditional tea growing areas. Similarly, stress associated with low temperatures as well as high soil pH have been noted to be serious constraints to tea production in some parts of the west of Rift Valley. Additionally, tea farming is increasingly being extended into the non-traditional tea-growing areas that were formerly considered marginal, highly variable and therefore unsuitable for the crop. Therefore, a need has arisen for consoli- dation of inherent breeding for tolerance to drought in the tea plant is imperative for sustainable tea production on adop- tion of climate-compatible clones. ES: DO YOU FOCUS ON IMPROVED NUTRITIONAL AND HEALTH CHARACTERISTICS IN YOUR NEW TEA VARIETIES, AND HOW EASY OR DIFFICULT IS IT TO INCREASE THESE LEVELS? SK: The tea plant has recently received a lot of attention due to its medicinal proper- ties. Its pharmacological potential is widely acknowledged and is ascribed to flavonoids particularly catechins. Furthermore, cer- tain tea catechins (i.e. EGCG) have been associated with boosting the body's immu- nity and to exhibit anti-cancer properties. Other useful chemicals found in tea such as polyphenols (flavanols and anthocy- anins) also have antioxidant properties and so help in combating chronic diseases like cancer as well as cardiovascular dis- eases. Other prophylactic properties of tea are also attributed to caffeine, anthocya- nins, carotenoids, and theobromine found in young flush shoots of tea. Kenyan tea varieties have some of the highest levels of these biomolecules among all the tea growing countries. However, these levels appear to be reaching a plateau as can be exhibited by newly developed populations. The prolonged breeding cycle and peren- niality of the tea plant are big hindrances to accelerated improvement. Anthocyanins are flavonoids which belong to a group of polyphenolic compounds that have a C6-C3-C6 configuration consisting of two aromatic rings linked by three carbons. The word anthocyanin is derived from two Greek words anthos, which means flower, and kyanos, which means dark blue, revealing their important characteristic as natural colorants. The anthocyanins absorb light intensely at visible wavelengths imparting colour such as orange, red, blue and purple to plant tissues including flowers, vegetables and fruits. As a result of their intense coloration, they are used as dyeing agents and food colorants, but the use of these natural colorants is limited due to their stability to pH, light and temperature. Industrially, they are important as natural food colourings since colour is the most important attributes of food that is appreciated for its intrinsic and aesthetic value and as a basis for identification and quality judgement. Attractive foods are sought as pleasure giving while unattractive foods are avoided. Anthocyanins are glycosides (have glucose substitution) of different anthocyanidin aglycones (without glucose substitution) that naturally associate with other compounds. There are eighteen naturally occurring anthocyanins that have been discovered but among these, six are the most common. These are: i) cyanidin, ii) peonidin, iii) delphinidin, iv) petunidin, v) pelargonidin, and vi) malvidin. In plants, anthocyanins occur in glycosylated forms. They are linked to sugars such as glucose, galactose, arabinose, rhamnose, xylose and fructose. The berry nectars (grapes, bilberries and blueberries) are some of the richest source of anthocyanins. Other crops are purple cabbage, carrots, banana bracts, apples and many other edible fruits and vegetables. Recently, anthocyanins have also been introduced through interspecific hybridization in some Kenyan tea cultivars. Worldwide, the tea plant has received immense attention due to its proven pharmacological properties and moreover it is inexpensive and widely available. Tea contains polyphenolic compounds mainly catechins but of all the known catechins, EGCG has been found to be the most potent pharmacologically particularly in boosting immunity and curing cancer. HEALTH BENEFITS OF ANTHOCYANINS Recent studies have shown that anthocyanins display a wide range of biological activities which include: (a) Antioxidant (b) Anti-inflammatory (c) Antimicrobial (d) Anticarcinogenic activities (e) Induction of apoptosis in carcinogenic cells (f) Protection of cells against oxidative stress induced apoptosis (g) Improvement of vision (h) Neuroprotective effects (i)  Variety of effects on blood vessels and platelets that may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease Anthocyanins have been found to be highly reactive radical scavengers in vitro and apart from this, they also bind heavy metals such as Zinc, Iron and Copper thereby preventing formation of radicals that damage living cells and tissues in a process called "oxidative stress leading to occurrence of degenerative diseases. High-anthocyanin tea variety, marketed as ‘purple tea’.