AUTHOR=Jia Xiaoli , Wang Yuhua , Li Qisong , Zhang Qi , Zhang Ying , Lin Shaoxiong , Cheng Pengyuan , Chen Meihui , Du Mengru , Ye Jianghua , Wang Haibin TITLE=Contribution of traditional deep fermentation to volatile metabolites and odor characteristics of Wuyi rock tea JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology VOLUME=11 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1193095 DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2023.1193095 ISSN=2296-4185 ABSTRACT=

Fermentation is extremely important for the formation of the special flavor of Wuyi rock tea. This study determined volatile metabolite contents using GC-MS technique and futher analyzed their odor characteristics during the traditional deep fermentation technology of Wuyi rock tea. The results showed that 17 characteristic compounds significantly changed during the first stage of the preliminary processing, namely fresh leaves, withering and fermentation. The key to the formation of floral aroma lied in dihydromyrcenol, and the woody aroma derived from six terpenoids, and their synthesis depended on dihydromyrcenol content. The fruity aroma was dominated by six esters, and the fruity aroma mainly came from (Z) -3-hexen-1-yl butyrate, (E) -3-hexen-1-yl butyrate and 5-Hexenyl butyrate. This study provided an important theoretical and practical basis for improving the preliminary processing of Wuyi rock tea.