Metabolomic
Analysis of Highlighting Superiority and Masking Inferiority in Blended Strong Aroma #br#
Oolong Tea

doi:10.13305/j.cnki.jts.20260626.001

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Journal of Tea Science ›› 0 DOI: 10.13305/j.cnki.jts.20260626.001

Metabolomic Analysis of Highlighting Superiority and Masking Inferiority in Blended Strong Aroma #br# Oolong Tea

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Abstract

Taking strong-aroma ‘Jinguanyin’(JGY), ‘Huangdan’ also known as ‘Huangjingui’(HJG), and ‘Daye Huangdan’also known as ‘Dadan’ (DD) as raw tea materials, multiple blending tests and sensory evaluation comparisons were carried out. The optimal blended tea sample ‘Fengyan Xiangcong’ (FYXC) was obtained with the blending ratio of JGY 28%, HJG 42% and DD 30%. Widely targeted metabolomics was employed to determine the aroma and taste components of these four samples. The results show that the blended tea (FYXC) was superior to the three raw teas in both sensory quality and main biochemical components. Compared with DD and JGY, the contents of green note-associated (Z)-3-hexenol and scorched note-associated 3-mercapto-3-methylbutyl formate in FYXC were down-regulated, while the content of floral and fruity note-associated δ-decalactone was up-regulated. These changes not only enhanced the floral aroma of the blended tea but also mitigated the inherent defects of the raw teas, such as the green note in DD and the scorched note in HJG. In comparison with the three raw teas, the caffeine content in FYXC was increased, which reduced the odor threshold of aromatic substances including δ-decalactone and further enhanced the floral and fruity aromas of the blended tea. Moreover, compared with HJG and JGY, FYXC had elevated the contents of glutamine (a sweet-tasting component) and aspartic acid (a fresh and brisk-tasting component), while the contents of bitter-tasting leucine, kaempferol-3-O-glucoside (a bitter-enhancing component), were decreased, and the content of simple catechin C was increased. These variations in component contents endowed the blended tea with a fresher, brisker and mellow taste. Collectively, tea blending can alter the compositional profile of chemical components in tea, achieve complementary advantages among raw teas, and exert the effect of highlighting superior characteristics and masking inferior ones, thereby improving the quality of blended strong-aroma oolong tea from southern Fujian. The findings of this study provided a theoretical basis for the blending of strong-aroma oolong tea in southern Fujian.