Determination and difference analysis of aroma compounds in An-Tea with different aging time

Abstract

The differences of volatile substances of 4 kinds of An-tea samples, made in 2007 (high-aging sample, HAS), 2012 (middle-aging sample, MAS), 2017 (low-aging sample, LAS) and 2018 (control check, CK) were studied by headspace solid phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 64 compounds, including 13 ketones, 12 aldehydes, 4 alcohols, 8 esters, 2 phenols, 13 hydrocarbon compounds, 7 nitrogenous compounds, 2 ethers and 3 heterocyclic compounds, were identified. Among them, there were 34 compounds in HAS, 41 compounds in MAS, 39 compounds in LAS, and 31 compounds in CK, indicating that different kinds and contents of volatile aroma components contribute significantly to the quality of tea, which leads to the unique aroma quality of tea samples with different storage time. Linalool and -ionone are the common aroma components of 4 kinds of An-tea, and play an important role in the formation of An-teas' aroma. In addition, with the extension of storage time, the relative content of alcohols in An-tea decreased gradually, while the relative content of esters increased, which is probably due to the esterification reaction between alcohols and acids.