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Production, Quality, Flavor Characteristics and Health Benefits of Tea: 2nd...
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Production, Quality, Flavor Characteristics and Health Benefits of Tea: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2025 | Viewed by 1989

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yanqin Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China
Interests: tea; processing techniques; aroma; flavor chemistry; quality regulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the success of the first volume of the Special Issue “Production, Quality, Flavor Characteristics and Health Benefits of Tea”, which advanced our understanding of tea processing innovations, quality control technologies, and the biochemical foundations of tea’s health properties, we are launching Volume II. The overwhelming engagement from the global scientific community underscores the timeliness and significance of this research theme. We now invite researchers to contribute original studies and critical reviews that further explore relevant topics to this Special Issue.

Tea is popular worldwide for its fascinating flavor characteristics and diverse health benefits. Processing technology plays a pivotal role in shaping the flavor characteristics and potential health benefits of tea. According to the differences in processing techniques, tea can be classified into six broad categories. Given the complexity of the processing technology of tea, it is particularly important to ensure appropriate quality control, and some innovative non-destructive testing technologies provide favorable prospects. Moreover, with the advancement and extensive application of metabolomics, proteomics, etc., the comprehension of tea chemistry and its health benefits necessitate enhancement.

Thus, this Special Issue will concentrate on pioneering areas like non-destructive monitoring strategies for quality control, the exploration of characteristic flavor constituents and the influence of processing technology on their formation, including the inherent correlation between flavor components and tea quality and the potential health benefits of tea. The results will provide robust scientific backing for enhancing tea processing, elevating tea quality and augmenting the nutritional value of tea.

Dr. Yanqin Yang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • tea
  • processing technology
  • quality control
  • non-destructive testing technology
  • flavor
  • aroma
  • health benefits

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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15 pages, 1355 KB  
Article
Effect of Pressing Process on Metabolomics Profiling and Sensory Properties: A Comparative Study of Fu Brick Tea Versus Fu Loose Tea from Identical Raw Dark Tea
by Yan Liang, Jialin Zou, Fanhua Wu, Xiaofang Zhu, Xin Hu, Haoan Zhao and Wei Cao
Foods 2025, 14(17), 3053; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14173053 - 29 Aug 2025
Viewed by 417
Abstract
Fu tea is a unique microbially fermented tea from China, and has two types. The primary distinction between these two types—Fu brick tea (FBT) and Fu loose tea (FLT)—is that FBT is compressed into bricks, whereas FLT is maintained as loose leaves. To [...] Read more.
Fu tea is a unique microbially fermented tea from China, and has two types. The primary distinction between these two types—Fu brick tea (FBT) and Fu loose tea (FLT)—is that FBT is compressed into bricks, whereas FLT is maintained as loose leaves. To investigate the differences in the chemical composition and sensory characteristics between the two types of Fu tea, this study utilized samples produced from the same batch of raw dark tea material to ensure comparability. Multiple analytical approaches were applied, including main active component analysis, sensory flavor evaluation, metabolomics, and differential characteristic component analysis. These methods were employed to comprehensively compare and characterize the two tea types. The results showed that compared to FBT, FLT exhibited a longer-lasting fungal flower aroma and a mellower taste. Furthermore, the quantity of Eurotium cristatum in FLT was 56.7% higher than that in FBT, indicating a significant difference. Untargeted ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to screen metabolites in Fu tea samples, and after multivariate statistical analysis, 12 differential metabolites were finally identified, including phenolic acids and their derivatives, coumarins and their derivatives, phenylpropanoids, and flavonoids and their glycosides. Subsequently, a targeted UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS-based method was established and validated for the main differential metabolites, phenolic acids and catechins. The results indicated that gallic acid, catechin, and epicatechin can serve as characteristic markers for distinguishing between FBT and FLT. Notably, the content of gallic acid in FLT was 168.6% higher than that in FBT. These findings elucidate the impact of the pressing process on Fu tea, provide guidance for discriminating between FBT and FLT, and are significant for quality control in the industrial production of Fu tea. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production, Quality, Flavor Characteristics and Health Benefits of Tea: 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 3328 KB  
Article
Widely Targeted Metabolomics Decodes Metabolic Remodeling and Functional Shifts in Ganoderma lucidum-Fermented Green Tea Infusion
by Xuzhou Liu, Ying Ju, Shuai Wen, Hongzhe Zeng, Chao Wang, Mingguo Jiang, Bingchuan Tian, Jianan Huang and Zhonghua Liu
Foods 2025, 14(16), 2855; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14162855 - 18 Aug 2025
Viewed by 498
Abstract
This study used a targeted metabolomics approach to examine changes in metabolites within green tea infusions fermented by G. lucidum (TFG) and evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and lipid-lowering properties of TFG. Fermentation decreased tea polyphenols, flavonoids, caffeine, soluble sugars, theaflavins, and catechins, [...] Read more.
This study used a targeted metabolomics approach to examine changes in metabolites within green tea infusions fermented by G. lucidum (TFG) and evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and lipid-lowering properties of TFG. Fermentation decreased tea polyphenols, flavonoids, caffeine, soluble sugars, theaflavins, and catechins, while increasing free amino acids and theabrownins. The microbial bioconversion process led to the generation of decorated flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenoids, alkaloids, nucleotides, and amino acids. This process shifted the tea’s taste from bitter and astringent to mellow, primarily due to the transformation of flavonoid glycosides, caffeine, catechins, 5′-guanosine monophosphate, 5′-uridine monophosphate, and theabrownins. Volatile metabolites added woody, floral, sweet, and fruity aromas. Reduced gallic acid and catechins lowered antioxidant activity, whereas increased theabrownins enhanced lipid-lowering activity and imparted a reddish-brown color. These findings indicate that fermentation significantly affects the flavor, aroma, and lipid-lowering ability of green tea infusion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production, Quality, Flavor Characteristics and Health Benefits of Tea: 2nd Edition)
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18 pages, 5623 KB  
Article
Rapid and Quantitative Prediction of Tea Pigments Content During the Rolling of Black Tea by Multi-Source Information Fusion and System Analysis Methods
by Hanting Zou, Ranyang Li, Xuan Xuan, Yongwen Jiang, Haibo Yuan and Ting An
Foods 2025, 14(16), 2829; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14162829 - 15 Aug 2025
Viewed by 342
Abstract
Efficient and convenient intelligent online detection methods can provide important technical support for the standardization of processing flow in the tea industry. Hence, this study focuses on the key chemical indicators—tea pigments in the rolling process of black tea as the research object, [...] Read more.
Efficient and convenient intelligent online detection methods can provide important technical support for the standardization of processing flow in the tea industry. Hence, this study focuses on the key chemical indicators—tea pigments in the rolling process of black tea as the research object, and uses multi-source information fusion methods to predict the changes of tea pigments content. Firstly, the tea pigments content of the samples under different rolling time series of black tea is determined by system analysis methods. Secondly, the spectra and images of the corresponding samples under different rolling time series are simultaneously obtained through the portable near-infrared spectrometer and the machine vision system. Then, by extracting the principal components of the image feature information and screening characteristic wavelengths from the spectral information, low-level and middle-level data fusion strategies are chosen to effectively integrate sensor data from different sources. At last, the linear (PLSR) and nonlinear (SVR and LSSVR) models are established respectively based on the different characteristic data information. The research results show that the LSSVR based on middle-level data fusion strategy have the best effect. In the prediction results of theaflavins, thearubigins, and theabrownins, the correlation coefficients of the testing sets are all greater than 0.98, and the relative percentage deviations are all greater than 5. The complementary fusion of the spectrum and image information effectively compensates for the problems of information redundancy and feature missing in the quantitative analysis of tea pigments content using the single-modal data information. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production, Quality, Flavor Characteristics and Health Benefits of Tea: 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 1817 KB  
Article
Development of Pretreatment Approaches for Authentic Representation of Tea Infusion Aroma
by Mingming Zhang, Zhihui Feng, Fang Wang, Jianxin Chen, Yifan Li, Yuqiong Chen and Junfeng Yin
Foods 2025, 14(16), 2759; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14162759 - 8 Aug 2025
Viewed by 377
Abstract
Appropriate aroma extraction methods are crucial prerequisites for accurately and objectively characterizing the authentic aroma profile of samples. Purified water and ionized water were used as brewing water, and the effects of different tea-to-water ratios, extraction temperatures, and extraction times on the aroma [...] Read more.
Appropriate aroma extraction methods are crucial prerequisites for accurately and objectively characterizing the authentic aroma profile of samples. Purified water and ionized water were used as brewing water, and the effects of different tea-to-water ratios, extraction temperatures, and extraction times on the aroma authenticity and component enrichment of tea infusions were compared. The conditions of a tea-to-water ratio of 1 g:10 mL, extraction at 30 °C for 30 or 45 min were identified as the optimal parameter range, which could maximize the enrichment of aroma while maintaining fidelity. The cosine value of the aroma attribute scores between the optimal parameter set and the control group (tea brewed at 1 g:10 mL ratio for 4 min) exceeded 0.979, and the correlation coefficient surpassed 0.828. Test evaluation results indicate the method had good reproducibility and effectively highlighted the differential impacts of ionic content in brewing water on tea aroma constituents. This approach effectively solved the problem of sensory distortion caused by conventional high-temperature and long-duration extraction, enabling precise analysis of how water quality authentically influences tea infusion aroma characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production, Quality, Flavor Characteristics and Health Benefits of Tea: 2nd Edition)
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