LI Xiang, XU Yan, FENG Tingting, YU Ying, HU Linling, FU Xun, ZHANG Yan, YANG Ruxing, ZHANG Xiaoping, ZHANG Lei, NIE Qingyu, HE Xiaoli, PENG Yaoxian
To assess the taste quality of Sichuan middle/small leaf tea tree populations (SMP) black tea in Wanzhou district, this study focused on black tea produced by nine SMP, each exhibiting different regional and phenotypic characteristics.The research employed targeted detection methods for six taste components of tea soup, namely catechins, free amino acids, alkaloids, flavonols and their glycosides, organic acids, and soluble sugar components, and estimated the taste performance with sensory evaluation.Then,multivariate statistical analysis, combined with the dove-over-threshold (Dot) method were utilized to analyze the taste characteristics of each samples. The result categorized all tea samples into four classes.Class Ι comprised C4, C5, C6, C8, and two comparative samples, exhibiting a relatively balanced composition of each flavor component.Class II shared a similar undergrowth cultivation environment, characterized by low flavonoid glycoside content and high levels of gallic acid, caffeine (CAFF), catechins, and amino acids, resulting in a mellow taste and high freshness.Class III tea samples, featuring large leaf-shaped germplasm, had flavonoid glycosides and succinic acid as their characteristic taste components, with low levels of catechins, theanine, and CAFF, but high astringency and freshness.Class IV boasted high catechin and CAFF content, low theanine content, and a strong flavor but lacked freshness.This study thoroughly explored the quality characteristics of black tea produced by SMP species in Wanzhou district, offering a theoretical basis for further developing and utilizing this germplasm resource.