Comparative volatiles profiling in milk-flavored white tea and traditional white tea Shoumei via HS-SPME-GC-TOFMS and OAV analyses

Zhilong Hao; Jiao Feng; Qianlian Chen; Hongzheng Lin; Xiaohong Zhou; Jiayun Zhuang; Jinyuan Wang; Yanping Tan; Zhilin Sun; Yanfei Wang; Bugui Yu

doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100710

Comparative volatiles profiling in milk-flavored white tea and traditional white tea Shoumei via HS-SPME-GC-TOFMS and OAV analyses

Food Chem X. 2023 May 9:18:100710. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100710. eCollection 2023 Jun 30.

Authors

Zhilong Hao^{1

2}, Jiao Feng¹, Qianlian Chen¹, Hongzheng Lin¹, Xiaohong Zhou³, Jiayun Zhuang¹, Jinyuan Wang¹, Yanping Tan¹, Zhilin Sun¹, Yanfei Wang³, Bugui Yu⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, Fujian, China.
² Key Laboratory of Tea Science in Universities of Fujian Province, Fuzhou 350002, Fujian, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an, Hangzhou 311300, Zhejiang, China.
⁴ Zhenghe Ruiming Tea Co., LTD, Zhenghe 353600, Fujian, China.

Abstract

White tea is a mildly fermented tea processed with withering and drying. Milk-flavored white tea has a unique milk flavor compared to the traditional white tea. Little is known about the aromas that make white tea taste milky. Here we conducted the volatile profiling via headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME)-gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS) and chemometrics to explore the key volatiles making milk-flavored white tea taste milky. Sixty-seven volatiles were identified, with 7 volatiles (OAV > 1 and VIP > 1) were characterized as the typical aromas. Green and light fruity scent volatiles, such as methyl salicylate, benzyl alcohol, and phenylethyl alcohol, were richer in TFs than MFs. Strong fruity and cheese aromas, such as dihydro-5-pentyl-2(3H)-furanone, 2-pentyl-furan, (E)-6,10-dimethyl-5,9-undecadien-2-one, and hexanal, were more abundant in MFs than TFs. Dihydro-5-pentyl-2(3H)-furanone, recognized as coconut and creamy aroma, should be the essential volatile for milky flavor. Also, (E)-6,10-dimethyl-5,9-undecadien-2-one and 2-pentyl-furan may contribute to the milk scent formation.

Keywords: Camellia sinensis; Milk-flavored; Shoumei; Volatile components; White tea; Withering.