Study on the Effect of Dynamic Temperature-Controlled Fermentation on the Quality of Sichuan Congou Black Tea

XU Fan; XIA Xiaojiao; LI Jingjing; CAO Yuxi; LI Hengbiao; LIN Ling; XU Wei

doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2026.05.011

PDF(2092 KB)

Journal of Tea Science ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (5) : 915-928. DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2026.05.011

Research Paper

Study on the Effect of Dynamic Temperature-Controlled Fermentation on the Quality of Sichuan Congou Black Tea

XU Fan¹, XIA Xiaojiao¹, LI Jingjing¹, CAO Yuxi¹, LI Hengbiao², LIN Ling¹, XU Wei^1,*

Author information +

History +

Abstract

Using one bud and one or two leaves of ‘Fuding Dabaicha' as raw materials, this study compared the effects of room temperature natural fermentation and dynamic temperature-controlled fermentation on the quality of summer Sichuan Congou black tea. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted using sensory evaluation, routine physicochemical analysis, UPLC-MS/MS non-targeted metabolomics and HS-SPME-GC-MS volatile metabolomics. Sensory evaluation results indicate that the variable temperature group (KW group) exhibited better sensory quality than the room temperature group (SW group), characterized by a more mellow and fresh taste, a distinct sweet aroma, and longer aroma persistence. Physicochemical analysis indicates that compared with the SW group, the KW group had increased contents of water extract, soluble sugars, theaflavins, and thearubigins, while the contents of caffeine, total catechins, and theabrownins were decreased. A total of 1 950 metabolites were identified using UPLC-MS/MS, among which 170 differential metabolites were screened (44 upregulated and 126 downregulated). KEGG enrichment analysis reveals that pathways such as phosphatidylinositol signaling system, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and anthocyanin biosynthesis were significantly enriched, suggesting that dynamic temperature-controlled fermentation may affect the taste and color quality of tea infusion by regulating these pathways. A total of 938 volatile metabolites were identified using HS-SPME-GC-MS, and the total amount of volatile compounds in the KW group was higher than that in the SW group. Relative odor activity value (rOAV) analysis identifies 169 key aroma compounds in the two tea samples. Compounds representing fruity and fresh aroma attributes, such as 5-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2(5H)-furanone, (E)-4-nonenal, (E)-2-hexenal, and (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal, were higher in the KW group than in the SW group. In conclusion, Sichuan Congou black tea processed by dynamic temperature-controlled fermentation exhibited better quality than that processed by room temperature natural fermentation. These findings provided a theoretical basis for improving the quality of summer Sichuan Congou black tea and for the high-value utilization of summer fresh tea leaves.

Key words

dynamic temperature-controlled fermentation process / Sichuan Congou black tea / quality / GC-MS

Cite this article

EndNote

Ris (Procite)

Bibtex

Download Citations

XU Fan, XIA Xiaojiao, LI Jingjing, CAO Yuxi, LI Hengbiao, LIN Ling, XU Wei. Study on the Effect of Dynamic Temperature-Controlled Fermentation on the Quality of Sichuan Congou Black Tea[J]. Journal of Tea Science. 2026, 46(5): 915-928 https://doi.org/10.13305/j.cnki.jts.2026.05.011

References

[1] 刘晓, 马伟伟, 唐晓波, 等. 宜宾市红茶产业发展现状及对策[J]. 四川农业科技, 2023(8): 111-113.
Liu X, Ma W W, Tang X B, et al.Current situation and countermeasures of Yibin city's black tea industry development[J]. Sichuan Agricultural Science and Technology, 2023(8): 111-113.
[2] 刘明丽, 蒋宾, 刘跃云, 等. 我国三大工夫红茶品质特征的研究进展[J]. 食品工业, 2024, 45(10): 232-238.
Liu M L, Jiang B, Liu Y Y, et al.Research progress on quality characteristics of three Congou black tea in China[J]. The Food Industry, 2024, 45(10): 232-238.
[3] Zhang H, Qi R L, Mine Y.The impact of oolong and black tea polyphenols on human health[J]. Food Bioscience, 2019, 29: 55-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbio.2019.03.009.
[4] Zhu Y F, Chen J J, Ji X M, et al.Changes of major tea polyphenols and production of four new B-ring fission metabolites of catechins from post-fermented Jing-Wei Fu brick tea[J]. Food Chemistry, 2015, 170: 110-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.08.075.
[5] Zhu J Y, Zhou Y B, Wen H T. Analysis of differences in volatile components of Rucheng baimao (Camellia pubescens) black tea in different seasons[J]. Foods, 2025, 14(5): 763. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14050763.
[6] Zhang L, Cao Q Q, Granato D, et al.Association between chemistry and taste of tea: a review[J]. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 2020, 101: 139-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2020.05.015.
[7] Ruan S L, Yang Z Y, Zhou Z W.Research progress on the processing technology and quality of flower-fruit aroma Gongfu black tea[J]. Journal of Food Safety & Quality, 2024, 15(13): 248-257.
[8] Jiang B, Yang L, Luo X, et al. Aroma formation and dynamic changes during Sichuan black tea processing by GC-MS-based metabolomics[J]. Fermentation, 2023, 9(7): 686. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9070686.
[9] Zhu J Y, Wang J J, Yuan H B, et al. Effects of fermentation temperature and time on the color attributes and tea pigments of Yunnan Congou black tea[J]. Foods, 2022, 11(13): 1845. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11131845.
[10] 黄浩, 余鹏辉, 赵熙, 等. 基于变温发酵技术的黄金茶工夫红茶品质分析[J]. 现代食品科技, 2022, 38(2): 155-163.
Huang H, Yu P H, Zhao X, et al.Quality analysis of Huangjincha Congou black tea based on variable temperature fermentation technology[J]. Modern Food Science and Technology, 2022, 38(2): 155-163.
[11] 谢念祠, 周浩, 周品谦, 等. 变温发酵对保靖黄金茶1号夏季鲜叶制成工夫红茶品质的影响[J]. 食品与发酵工业, 2022, 48(8): 220-226.
Xie N C, Zhou H, Zhou P Q, et al.Effect of variable-temperature fermentation on the quality of Congou black tea made with fresh leaves of Baojing Huangjincha 1 plucked in summer[J]. Food and Fermentation Industries, 2022, 48(8): 220-226.
[12] 吴锐, 胡南, 李春芳, 等. 低温发酵工艺与发酵时间对夏季径山红茶香气品质的影响[J]. 食品安全质量检测学报, 2025, 16(8): 170-179.
Wu R, Hu N, Li C F, et al.Effect of low-temperature fermentation process and fermentation time on the aroma quality of summer Jingshan black tea[J]. Journal of Food Safety & Quality, 2025, 16(8): 170-179.
[13] Wen L H, Sun L L, Chen R H, et al. Metabolome and microbiome analysis to study the flavor of summer black tea improved by stuck fermentation[J]. Foods, 2023, 12(18): 3414. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12183414.
[14] 王艳燕, 刘志薇, 严慧婷, 等. 变温发酵工艺滇红工夫挥发性成分及关键香气成分分析[J]. 食品科学, 2024, 45(23): 159-167.
Wang Y Y, Liu Z W, Yan H T, et al.Analysis of volatile components and key aroma components in Dianhong Congou black tea produced by variable temperature fermentation[J]. Food Science, 2024, 45(23): 159-167.
[15] 夏长杙, 冉乾松, 蒲璐璐, 等. 不同发酵方式对古茶树鲜叶制备工夫红茶品质的影响[J]. 中国酿造, 2023, 42(10): 127-135.
Xia C Y, Ran Q S, Pu L L, et al.Effect of different fermentation methods on the quality of Congou black tea prepared with fresh leaves from ancient tea tree[J]. China Brewing, 2023, 42(10): 127-135.
[16] GB/T 23776—2018 茶叶感官审评方法[S].
GB/T 23776—2018 Methodology for sensory evaluation of tea[S].
[17] GB/T 13738.2—2017 红茶第2部分: 工夫红茶[S].
GB/T 13738.2—2017 Black tea Part 2: Congou black tea[S].
[18] GB/T5009.3—2016 食品安全国家标准食品中水分的测定[S].
GB/T5009.3—2016 National food safety standard: determination of moisture in food[S].
[19] GB/T8305—2013 茶水浸出物测定[S].
GB/T8305—2013 Tea: determination of water extracts content[S].
[20] GB/T8313—2018 茶叶中茶多酚和儿茶素类含量的检测方法[S].
GB/T8313—2018 Determination of total polyphenols and catechins content in tea[S].
[21] GB/T8314—2013 茶游离氨基酸总量的测定[S].
GB/T8314—2013 Tea: determination of free amino acids content[S].
[22] 张正竹. 茶叶生物化学实验教程[M]. 3版. 北京: 中国农业出版社, 2009: 52-54.
Zhang Z Z.Tea biochemistry experiment manual[M]. 3rd ed. Beijing: China Agricultural Press, 2009: 52-54.
[23] 高俊凤. 植物生理学实验指导[M]. 北京: 高等教育出版社, 2006: 144-148.
Gao J F.Plant physiology experiment guide[M]. Beijing: Higher Education Press, 2006: 144-148.
[24] 王亚防, 李彦奇, 宋慕波, 等. 不同加工工艺初夏福鼎大白白茶感官及品质成分分析[J]. 食品工业科技, 2026, 47(5): 369-377.
Wang Y F, Li Y Q, Song M B, et al.Effects of different processing techniques on sensory profile and quality components of early-summer Fuding dabai white tea[J]. Science and Technology of Food Industry, 2026, 47(5): 369-377.
[25] Yuan H L, Cao G P, Hou X D, et al.Development of a widely-targeted volatilomics method for profiling the volatilomes in plants[J]. Molecular Plant, 2021, 15(1): 189-202.
[26] Xie Y X, Yang Z X, Zhu Y M, et al.Investigation of rose-honey aroma formation during tea infusion fermentation by Pantoea camelliae Z09 through GC-MS and GC-IMS[J]. Food Chemistry: X, 2025, 29: 102766. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochx.2025.102766.
[27] Shi J X, Sun L I, Zhang S W, et al.GC-MS and GC-O reveal the differences in aroma quality of three typical varieties of Fenghuang Dancong tea[J]. Food Chemistry, 2026, 510: 148686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2026.148686.
[28] 向奕, 吴亚玲, 杨雪华, 等. 变温发酵对工厂化加工红茶品质的影响及工艺比较[J]. 茶叶通讯, 2025, 52(2): 205-213.
Xiang Y, Wu Y L, Yang X H, et al.The impact of variable-temperature fermentation on the quality of industrially processed black tea and optimization process screening[J]. Journal of Tea Communication, 2025, 52(2): 205-213.
[29] Zhang L, Ho C T, Zhou J, et al.Chemistry and biological activities of processed Camellia sinensis teas: a comprehensive review[J]. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 2019, 18(5): 1474-1495.
[30] 严佳丹, 冯思敏. 茶黄素双没食子酸酯的功能活性研究进展[J]. 发酵科技通讯, 2020, 49(1): 44-49.
Yan J D, Feng S M.Advances in research on the functional activities of theaflavin-3,3′-digallate[J]. Journal of Fermentation Science and Technology, 2020, 49(1): 44-49.
[31] Li S B, Tian Y F, Jiang P Y Z, et al. Recent advances in the application of metabolomics for food safety control and food quality analyses[J]. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2021, 61(9): 1448-1469.
[32] Xu M F, Shen C J, Zhu Q, et al.Comparative metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed the differential accumulation of secondary metabolites during the ripening process of acerola cherry (Malpighia emarginata) fruit[J]. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2022, 102(4): 1488-1497.
[33] Wang P J, Chen S R, Gu M Y, et al. Exploration of the effects of different blue LED light intensities on flavonoid and lipid metabolism in tea plants via transcriptomics and metabolomics[J]. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2020, 21(13): 4606. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21134606.
[34] Chen Q C, Zhu Y, Liu Y F, et al.Black tea aroma formation during the fermentation period[J]. Food Chemistry, 2022, 374: 131640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131640.
[35] Chen L, Wang H J, Ye Y, et al.Structural insight into polyphenol oxidation during black tea fermentation[J]. Food Chemistry: X, 2023, 17: 100615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100615.
[36] 汤海昆, 杨方慧, 张艳梅, 等. 基于HS-SPME-GC-MS分析不同茶树品种晒红茶的香气成分[J]. 食品工业科技, 2023, 44(7): 260-268.
Tang H K, Yang F H, Zhang Y M, et al.Analysis of the aroma composition of sun-dried black tea samples processed by different varieties based on HS-SPME-GC-MS[J]. Science and Technology of Food Industry, 2023, 44(7): 260-268.
[37] 朱宏凯, 何华锋, 叶阳, 等. 温度对工夫红茶揉捻理化品质的影响[J]. 现代食品科技, 2017, 33(5): 168-175.
Zhu H K, He H F, Ye Y, et al.Influence of rolling temperature on physicochemical quality of Congou black tea[J]. Modern Food Science and Technology, 2017, 33(5): 168-175.
[38] Huang W J, Fang S M, Wang J, et al.Sensomics analysis of the effect of the withering method on the aroma components of Keemun black tea[J]. Food Chemistry, 2022, 395: 133549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.133549.
[39] Jin L, Lian X Y, Chen L, et al. Characteristic aroma analysis and interaction study of key aroma compounds of Chuanhong Congou black tea[J]. European Food Research and Technology, 2024, 250: 441-454. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-023-04398-4.
[40] Yun J, Cui C J, Zhang S H, et al.Use of headspace GC/MS combined with chemometric analysis to identify the geographic origins of black tea[J]. Food Chemistry, 2021, 360: 130033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130033.