Study on flavor quality formation in green and yellow tea processing by means of UPLC-MS approach

Lingli Sun; Shuai Wen; Suwan Zhang; Qiuhua Li; Junxi Cao; Ruohong Chen; Zhongzheng Chen; Zhenbiao Zhang; Zhigang Li; Qian Li; Zhaoxiang Lai; Shili Sun

doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101342

Study on flavor quality formation in green and yellow tea processing by means of UPLC-MS approach

Food Chem X. 2024 Apr 12:22:101342. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101342. eCollection 2024 Jun 30.

Authors

Lingli Sun¹, Shuai Wen¹, Suwan Zhang^{1

2}, Qiuhua Li¹, Junxi Cao¹, Ruohong Chen¹, Zhongzheng Chen², Zhenbiao Zhang¹, Zhigang Li¹, Qian Li³, Zhaoxiang Lai¹, Shili Sun¹

Affiliations

¹ Tea Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Resources Innovation & Utilization, Guangzhou 510640, China.
² College of Food Science/Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Street, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
³ Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Sericultural & Agri-Food Research Institute/Key Laboratory of Functional Foods, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products Processing, Guangzhou 510610, China.

Abstract

Yellow tea (YT) has an additional process of yellowing before or after rolling than green tea (GT), making YT sweeter. We analyzed the variations of composition and taste throughout the withering, fixing and rolling steps using UPLC-MS/MS and sensory evaluation, and investigated the influence of various yellowing times on flavor profile of YT. 532 non-volatile metabolites were identified. Withering and fixing were the important processes to form the taste quality of GT. Withering, fixing and yellowing were important processes to form flavor profile of YT. Withering mainly regulated bitterness and astringency, and fixing mainly regulated bitterness, astringency and sweetness of YT and GT. Yellowing mainly regulated sweetness of YT. Trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline and glutathione reduced form as the key characteristic components of YT, increased significantly during yellowing mainly through Arginine and proline metabolism and ABC transporters. The paper offers a systematic insight into intrinsic mechanisms of flavor formation in YT and GT.

Keywords: Process; Taste characteristics; Taste formation; Tea; UPLC-MS/MS.