biostudies-literatureYang YRNatural Science Foundation of ChongqingChongqing University of Chinese Medicine "San Qi Ming Shi" Competency Enhancement Plan Project324https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12840180biostudies-literatureUnknown15(2)Hawk tea (<i>Litsea coreana</i> Levl. var. <i>lanuginosa</i>), a naturally caffeine-free herbal beverage widely consumed in Southwest China, is characterized by a pronounced camphoraceous note that often deters first-time consumers. In this study, hawk tea leaves were subjected to solid-state fermentation with four microbial strains-<i>Monascus purpureus</i>, <i>Aspergillus cristatus</i>, <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>, and <i>Blastobotrys adeninivorans</i>. The volatile compounds of unfermented and fermented hawk teas were identified by ultra-fast gas chromatography electronic nose (ultra-fast GC e-nose), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) analyses, respectively. Furthermore, the calculation of odor activity values (OAVs) and rFoods (Basel, Switzerland)Screening of Four Microbes for Solid-State Fermentation of Hawk Tea to Improve Its Flavor: Electronic Nose/GC-MS/GC-IMS-Guided Selection.PMC12840180CSTB2022NSCQ-MSX1648SQMS2024QNXM-020Cao WGYang YRLi CYLi SYHuang QfalseScreening of Four Microbes for Solid-State Fermentation of Hawk Tea to Improve Its Flavor: Electronic Nose/GC-MS/GC-IMS-Guided Selection.Hawk tea (<i>Litsea coreana</i> Levl. var. <i>lanuginosa</i>), a naturally caffeine-free herbal beverage widely consumed in Southwest China, is characterized by a pronounced camphoraceous note that often deters first-time consumers. In this study, hawk tea leaves were subjected to solid-state fermentation with four microbial strains-<i>Monascus purpureus</i>, <i>Aspergillus cristatus</i>, <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>, and <i>Blastobotrys adeninivorans</i>. The volatile compounds of unfermented and fermented hawk teas were identified by ultra-fast gas chromatography electronic nose (ultra-fast GC e-nose), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) analyses, respectively. Furthermore, the calculation of odor activity values (OAVs) and r2026-01-01T00:00:00Z2026 Jan2026-06-13T03:14:24.852Z2026-06-13T03:08:58.406ZS-EPMC128401804159692310.3390/foods15020324