Zhu Wan, Feng Xinyu, Pan Yani, Guo Haowei, Liu Yunqing, Lin Xingchen, Fan Fangyuan, Gong Shuying, Chen Ping, Chu Qiang
Tea Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Mingshan tea Co., Ltd., Fuding 355200, China.
Food Chem. 2025 Feb 15;465(Pt 2):141649. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141649. Epub 2024 Oct 15.
Throughout the natural aging process from new to aged white tea, the flavor evolves into a 'stale flavor', despite the initial umami diminishes. The flowering process, inoculation of Eurotium cristatum to white tea, improves the flavor. The impact on sensory qualities and underlying chemical basis of flowering in aged white tea warrant investigation. Sensory analysis, non-targeted metabolomics and volatilomics together deciphered flavor modifications of flowering in aged white tea from different aging years (FAWTs). Findings indicate the flowering process can recover the umami of aged white tea, enhancing the 'stale flavor'. These changes primarily stem from oxidations of catechins and free amino acids, enrichments of flavonols and soluble sugars, and 16 pivotal aroma compounds from degradations of lipids and glycosides. Additionally, 15 volatile and 39 non-volatile compounds were identified as potential biomarkers for FAWTs. These findings offer a viable strategy to improving the quality of aged white tea.
在从新白茶到陈化白茶的自然老化过程中，尽管最初的鲜味会减少，但风味会演变成“陈味”。发花过程，即将冠突散囊菌接种到白茶上，可改善风味。陈化白茶发花对感官品质和潜在化学基础的影响值得研究。感官分析、非靶向代谢组学和挥发组学共同解析了不同陈化年份的陈化白茶（FAWTs）发花后的风味变化。研究结果表明，发花过程可以恢复陈化白茶的鲜味，增强“陈味”。这些变化主要源于儿茶素和游离氨基酸的氧化、黄酮醇和可溶性糖的富集，以及脂质和糖苷降解产生的16种关键香气化合物。此外，还鉴定出15种挥发性化合物和39种非挥发性化合物作为FAWTs的潜在生物标志物。这些发现为提高陈化白茶的品质提供了一种可行的策略。
