Qi Dandan, Lu Min, Shi Yali, Zhang Xingmin, Yue Lin, Jia Houzhen, Dong Chunwang, Liu Huimin, Yuan Changbo
State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, Tea Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, China.
Yongding River Leisure Forest Park Administrative Office, Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau, 55 Jingyuan Road, Beijing, 100043, China.
Curr Res Food Sci. 2025 Aug 20;11:101179. doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2025.101179. eCollection 2025.
Tea trichomes, rich in secondary metabolites, are hypothesized to significantly influence white tea aroma, yet their biochemical contributions remain unclear. This study investigated the volatile profiles of tea trichome and tea body across six white tea samples using headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) and multivariate statistical analysis. Comparative analysis revealed significant differences in the volatile profile between tea trichome and tea body in all tested samples, with major differences lying in the content of volatile components. Sixteen potential key aroma components with relative odor activity value (ROAV) ≥ 1 and 39 aroma modifiers (0.1<ROAV<1) were identified in both tea trichome and tea body, predominantly associated with green, fruity, sweet, floral, woody and herbal aroma. In brief, -ionone, -damascone, linalool, non-8-enal and ()-2,6-nonadienal were identified as key aroma components in both tea trichome and tea body, determining the basic aroma characteristic of white tea. Aroma modifiers were also affirmed, including -myrcene, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl-pyrazine, ()-2-hexenal, dehydro-ionone, ()-6-nonenal, ()-2,4-decadienal and benzeneacetaldehyde, which were shared by all samples in tea trichome and tea body. Notably, most of these key and modified aroma components showed higher relative contents and ROAVs in tea trichome than those in tea body. These data reveals that tea trichome positively enhance white tea's aroma quality, notably intensifying fruity, floral, sweet, green, and woody notes. This study systematically clarifies the biochemical specificity of tea trichome and their positive impact on white tea aroma, highlighting their critical role in aroma formation through differential accumulation of aroma contributors.
茶叶毛状体富含次生代谢产物，据推测对白茶香气有显著影响，但其生化贡献仍不清楚。本研究采用顶空固相微萃取结合气相色谱-质谱联用技术（HS-SPME-GC-MS）和多元统计分析方法，对六个白茶样品的茶叶毛状体和茶体的挥发性成分进行了研究。对比分析发现，所有测试样品中茶叶毛状体和茶体的挥发性成分存在显著差异，主要差异在于挥发性成分的含量。在茶叶毛状体和茶体中均鉴定出16种相对气味活性值（ROAV）≥1的潜在关键香气成分和39种香气修饰剂（0.1＜ROAV＜1），这些成分主要与绿色、果香、甜香、花香、木香和草本香相关。简而言之，β-紫罗兰酮、β-大马酮、芳樟醇、壬-8-烯醛和（E）-2,6-壬二烯醛被确定为茶叶毛状体和茶体中的关键香气成分，决定了白茶的基本香气特征。还确认了香气修饰剂，包括β-月桂烯、2-乙基-3,5-二甲基吡嗪、（E）-2-己烯醛、脱氢紫罗兰酮、（E）-6-壬烯醛、（E）-2,4-癸二烯醛和苯乙醛，这些成分在茶叶毛状体和茶体的所有样品中均有出现。值得注意的是，这些关键和修饰的香气成分大多在茶叶毛状体中的相对含量和ROAV值高于茶体。这些数据表明，茶叶毛状体对白茶香气品质有积极的提升作用，尤其增强了果香、花香、甜香、绿色和木香的香气。本研究系统地阐明了茶叶毛状体的生化特异性及其对白茶香气的积极影响，突出了它们通过香气成分的差异积累在香气形成中的关键作用。
