Nian, B; Jiao, WW; He, MZ; Liu, QT; Zhou, LX; Jiang, B; Zhang, ZY; Liu, ML; Ma, Y; Chen, LJ; Liu, FQ; Rong, YT; Zhao, M
Pu-erh teas with the floral-fruity flavor and mellow flavor produced by the same manufacturer were used as the materials. The quality characteristics and chemical basis for these two kinds of pu-erh teas were studied and compared by spectrophotometry, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and sensory evaluation. Sensory analysis revealed that the floral-fruity pu-erh tea had a rich and sour taste with a floral or caramel aroma; the mellow pu-erh tea was rich in mellow and aged flavor. The analysis results showed that the contents of water extract, free amino acids, soluble sugars, gallic acid, theaflavins, thearubigins and epigallocatechin in the pu-erh tea with floral-fruity flavor were higher than those in pu-erh tea with mellow flavor (p<0.05); whereas, the content of epicatechin in the mellow-flavored pu-erh tea was higher than that in the floral-fruity flavored pu-erh tea (p<0.05). A total of 532 compounds were detected by GC-MS, with 55 being significantly different (vip>1.00, p<0.05, FC>1.50). The floral-fruity flavored pu-erh tea had significantly higher contents of the compounds with floral or ripen fruit aroma including (3R,6S)-2,2,6-trimethyl-6- vinyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-3-ol, phenylethyl alcohol, trans-linalool oxide (furanoid), benzyl alcohol, linalool and geraniol, compared with the pu-erh tea with mellow flavor. Whereas, the levels of methoxybenzene and alkanes compounds such as 1,2,3-Trimethoxybenzene and 1,2, 3-trimethoxy-5-methyl-benzene., which exhibited mellow and aged flavor, were significantly higher in the mellow flavored pu-erh tea than in the tea with floral-fruity flavor, In summary, the contents of biochemical components such as gallic acid, water extract, and free amino acids, as well as the relative contents of compounds with flower and ripe fruit aromas such as (3R,6S)-2,2,2, 6-trimethyl-6-vinyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-3-ol, in the floral-fruity flavored pu-erh tea were higher than those in the mellow flavored pu-erh tea (p<0.05). Whereas, the relative contents of methoxybenzene and alkane compounds with mellow flavor in the floral-fruity flavored pu-erh tea were lower. These compositions were responsible for the rich, sour and mellow taste, and the flower or fruit aroma of the floral-fruity flavored pu-erh tea. In general, the floral-fruity flavored Pu'er tea is a novel Pu'er tea product rich in constituents with a unique aroma. © 2020, Editorial Board of Modern Food Science and Technology. All right reserved.