College of Horticulture, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350007, China.
Anxi College of Tea Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350007, China.
Food Chem. 2025 Jan 1;462:140977. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.140977. Epub 2024 Sep 3.
The impact of seasonal variations on the quality of oolong tea products remains a subject of ongoing exploration. This study delves into the intricate relationships between seasonality, metabolites, and sensory characteristics in finished oolong tea products. Metabolomic data from 266 Tieguanyin oolong tea products harvested in both spring and autumn, along with corresponding sensory evaluations, were acquired. Using OPLS-DA and PLS-DA models with UPLC-QToF/MS data, our findings showed that seasonal effects were notably more pronounced in light-scented Tieguanyin products (lightly-roasted) compared to strong-scented products (moderately-roasted). Furthermore, over half of the identified key seasonal discriminant metabolites happened to be crucial for determining the sensory grade. The study marks the first-time recognition of triterpene saponins as critical factors in determining both the harvest season and the sensory grade of oolong tea. These insights deepen our understanding of the interplays between seasonal variations, metabolites, and sensory attributes in oolong tea products.
季节变化对乌龙茶产品质量的影响仍然是一个正在探索的课题。本研究深入探讨了季节性、代谢物和成品乌龙茶产品感官特征之间的复杂关系。采集了 266 份春季和秋季铁观音乌龙茶产品的代谢组学数据以及相应的感官评价数据。使用 UPLC-QToF/MS 数据的 OPLS-DA 和 PLS-DA 模型，我们的研究结果表明，轻香型铁观音产品（轻烤）的季节性影响明显比强香型产品（中烤）更为显著。此外，一半以上鉴定出的关键季节判别代谢物恰好是决定感官等级的关键因素。该研究首次发现三萜皂苷是决定乌龙茶收获季节和感官等级的关键因素。这些发现加深了我们对乌龙茶产品中季节性变化、代谢物和感官属性之间相互作用的理解。
