Composition of Elements in White of Fuding

Trace elements(i.e.,Fe,Al,F and rare earth)in the white tea from Fuding were analyzed.The compositionin the leaves differed by the age of the tea.Their contents tended to increase with time.The Fe,Al,F and rare earth in the older leaves were 2.98,13.27,6.19 and 11.83 times,respectively,higher than those in the younger ones(P<0.05).The rare earthelements were similar,mainly Y,La,Pr and Nd,withsignificantly higher contentsin the older than the younger leaves.Sc was not found in the old leaves,nor were Sc,Sm,Ty,Er and Yb in the young leaves.The white tea accumulatedmore heavythan light molecular weight elements.For thelight rare earth,the accumulation rates ranked in the order of Nd>Ce>La>Y.