Abstract: As the reproductive growth product of tea tree (Camellia sinensis),tea flower is quite rich in bioactive compounds like polyphenols,saponins,polysaccharides,amino acids and proteins，which have antibacterial and whitening functions in some former researches.This study analyzes the bioactive compounds of tea flower and its extracts and evaluates its antibacterial and whitening effect,supporting further development of functional personal care products.The main experimental results are as follows:the main composition of the tea flower extract (TFE) and tea flower is the same,but the content is a little different;soluble carbohydrates increased by 17.51%,polyphenols increased by 25%,amino acids decreased by 66% and saponins decreased by 90% after being extracted.TFE had obvious antibacterial effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of tea flower and its extract were 4.5 mg/mL and 9.0 mg/mL respectively.TFE had whitening effect through changing cell morphology and inhibiting cell proliferation,tyrosinase activity and the melanin synthesis in the model of mice B16 melanoma cells in vitro.

Key words: tea flower extract, biochemical composition, B16 melanoma cells, antibacterial effect, whitening effect