Effects of solar-withering and turn over treatment during indoor-withering on the formation of pouchong tea aroma.

Abstract

The effect of solar-withering and turn over treatment during indoor-withering on the development of pouchong tea aroma were investigated by comparing the aroma compositions of nine tea samples. Each sample was manufactured by different degrees of solar withering and different times of turn over treatment. Among 70 identified constituents of the aroma concentrate, 33 compounds were selected for comparing the aroma compositions. In general, solar-withering and turn over treatment had positive effects on the development of aroma constituents, except for linalool and geraniol, the effect of the turn over treatment being greater than that of solar-withering. The concentrations of hexenyl esters, oxidized products of linalool, aromatic alcohols, phenylacetaldehyde, sesquiterpenes, cis-jasmone, jasmine lactone, benzyl cyanide and indole were increased markedly by turn over treatment, even without solar-withering. Seventeen minutes solar-withering. and four turn over treatments seemed to be the most effective to produce the elegant floral aroma of pouchong tea.