Tea Aroma Composition Analysis

Tea Aroma Composition Analysis

Tea Aroma Composition Analysis

The aroma components in tea are composed of numerous volatile substances. There are about 300 aroma components found and identified in tea, including alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, acids, esters, lactones, phenols and their derivatives, heterocycles, hydroxides, sulfur compounds, and oxygenated compounds in more than ten categories. The number of tea aroma components is related to tea tree varieties, cultivation methods, soil quality, altitude, and processing methods. In the same kind of tea, such as oolong tea, its aroma composition components are the same. Still, the proportion of its aroma components content is different, while highlighting the aroma characteristics of this type of tea. The absolute content of tea aroma in tea is minimal, generally accounting for only 0.02% of the dry matter. However, when certain methods are used to extract the aroma components in tea, the tea will be tea-free, so the aromatic substances in tea have an essential role in forming tea quality.

Solutions

The aroma of tea can be divided into two categories: aroma, which is mainly composed of volatile compounds, and taste, which is mainly composed of non-volatile compounds. Volatile aroma is an important indicator to evaluate the quality of tea leaves. As a recognized leader in the field of tea testing, Lifeasible can develop the best solutions to detect a wide range of volatile compounds in different types of tea samples, including:

  • Alcohols (aliphatic alcohols; aromatic alcohols; terpene alcohols)
  • Aldehydes (aliphatic aldehydes; aromatic aldehydes; terpene aldehydes)
  • Ketones
  • Carboxylic acids
  • Esters (aromatic esters; terpene esters)
  • Lactones
  • Acids
  • Phenols
  • Miscellaneous oxygen compounds
  • Sulfur-containing compounds
  • Nitrogenous compounds

The aroma substances in tea are extremely small, varied, and highly variable. We offer cutting-edge analytical and testing techniques to study tea aroma components and their influencing factors. Our proven aroma extraction component technology ensures reliable tea aroma analysis results. The following is our tea aroma composition extraction and testing methods:

Tea Aroma Components Extraction Methods Tea Aroma Components Detection Methods
  • Liquid-liquid extraction
  • Decompression distillation extraction
  • Solvent-assisted flavor evaporation
  • Stir bar sorption extraction
  • Water vapor distillation method
  • Simultaneous distillation-extraction method
  • Supercritical fluid extraction method
  • Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method, etc.

Among them, the most commonly used headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) is simple in operation, with low equipment requirements, no solvent required, and integrates sampling, extraction, and concentration; the extraction of heat-sensitive components is more adequate, and the aroma reduction is better.

  • Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
  • Gas chromatography-olfactory method (GC-O)
  • Electronic nose
  • Gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry, etc.

The tea aroma composition analysis-specific process is as follows:

  • Extraction and preparation of tea aroma extracts.
  • Evaluation of the sensory properties of tea aroma extracts.
  • GC-MS analysis of tea aroma components.
  • Gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-MS-O) analysis of tea aroma components.
  • Evaluation of the contribution of individual volatiles to the overall aroma distribution by odor activity value (OAV).
  • Statistical analysis of data.

In cooperation with our experienced team of experts, we offer tea sensory review and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques for detecting aroma components, combined with a variety of statistical analysis methods to help you systematically analyze the chemical quality of tea aroma. We can detect more than 700 kinds of volatile compounds, aiming to provide a scientific basis for tea aroma quality evaluation and product quality improvement. If you are interested in our solutions, please contact us for technical consultation and quotation.

Reference

  1. Lin Q, et al. (2021) Analysis of aroma-active volatiles in an SDE extract of white tea. Food Sci Nutr. 9(2):605-615.
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