Unraveling the flavor formation process of mellow and thick-type ripened Pu-erh tea through non-targeted metabolomics and metagenomics.

ABSTRACT: Ripened Pu-erh tea (RPT) is renowned for its distinctive flavor and health benefits. However, its complex fermentation process poses challenges in ensuring consistency in production. This study investigated RPT flavor formation through sensory evaluation, multi-omics analysis, and multivariate statistical approaches. By day 24, the tea exhibited a reddish-brown infusion and a mellow, thick taste (MT_RPT), achieving the highest sensory score (94.0, P < 0.05). Sixteen flavor-related chemical components exhibited significant changes (P < 0.05). The contents of free amino acids, L-theanine, tea polyphenols, flavonoids, catechins, and thearubigins decreased. In contrast, the contents of total soluble sugars, caffeine, theobromine, epicatechin, and theabrownins (TBs) increas

SUBMITTER: Yang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12002954 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature