Study on taste quality formation and leaf conducting tissue changes in six types of tea during their manufacturing processes

Yuchuan Li; Songhui Yu; Shuya Yang; Dejiang Ni; Xinfeng Jiang; De Zhang; Jirong Zhou; Chunlei Li; Zhi Yu

doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100731

Study on taste quality formation and leaf conducting tissue changes in six types of tea during their manufacturing processes

Food Chem X. 2023 May 27:18:100731. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100731. eCollection 2023 Jun 30.

Authors

Yuchuan Li^{1

2}, Songhui Yu¹, Shuya Yang¹, Dejiang Ni^{1

2}, Xinfeng Jiang³, De Zhang^{1

2}, Jirong Zhou^{1

2}, Chunlei Li⁴, Zhi Yu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Horticulture Plant Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture & Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, People's Republic of China.
² Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture in Central China, Ministry of Agriculture, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, People's Republic of China.
³ Jiangxi Institute of Cash Crops /The Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control in Jiangxi Province, Nanchang 330203, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Agricultural College, Weifang University of Science & Technology, Weifang, Shandong 262700, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

This study fristly investigated the taste quality formation and leaf conducting tissue changes in six types of Chinese tea (green, black, oolong, yellow, white, and dark) made from Mingke No.1 variety. Non-targeted metabolomics showed the vital manufacturing processes (green tea-de-enzyming, black tea-fermenting, oolong tea-turning-over, yellow tea-yellowing, white tea-withering, and dark tea-pile-fermenting) were highly related to their unique taste formation, due to different fermentation degree in these processes. After drying, the retained phenolics, theanine, caffeine, and other substances significantly impacted each tea taste quality formation. Meanwhile, the tea leaf conducting tissue structure was significantly influenced by high processing temperature, and the change of its inner diameter was related to moisture loss during tea processing, as indicated by its significant different Raman characteristic peaks (mainly cellulose and lignin) in each key process. This study provides a reference for process optimization to improve tea quality.

Keywords: Conducting tissue; Non-targeted metabolomics; Processings; Six tea types; Taste.