Tea is, after water, the most consumed beverage in the world. As with other foods, the aroma has a major impact on its quality, but until now no systematic analysis of the aroma of tea had been performed. The important aroma compounds of the black tea brew Darjeeling Gold-Auslese were determined using aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA). After identification these compounds were quantified using stable isotope dilution assays (SIDA). Among the key aroma compounds identified in Darjeeling Gold-Auslese tea were linalool, geraniol, (E,E,Z)-2,4,6-nonatrienal, (E)-β-damascenone, 2-methylpropanal, 2- and 3-methylbutanal, and 3-methyl-2,4, nonanedione. The aroma of Darjeeling Gold-Auslese tea brew was successfully simulated by using the 18 most aroma-active compounds. The compound (E,E,Z)-2,4,6-nonatrienal (potent, oatmeal-like aroma) and its two isomers ((E,E,E)- and (E, Z, E)-2,4,6-nonatrienal) were identified in black tea for the first time. New synthesis routes were developed for these three isomers and, after synthesis, the isomers were identified using NMR. Furthermore, the 2,4,6-nontrienal isomers were shown to be degradation products of linolenic acid and a hypothetical formation pathway from the 9,16-dihydroxyperoxide was postulated. AEDA was also performed on a black tea powder (Darjeeling Gold-Auslese), and the most potent aroma compounds were identified as linalool, (E,E,Z)-2,4,6-nonatrienal, β?ionone, 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone, 3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-3(5H)-furanone, phenylacetic acid, and vanillin. The green tea Grüner Darjeeling was analyzed in the same manner as the black tea. Only seven compounds in the green tea were identified as aroma-active: 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione, (E)-β-damascenone, linalool, (Z)-4-heptenal, (E,E,Z)-2,4,6-nonatrienal, (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal, 2- and 3-methylbutanal. Using these seven compounds the aroma was successfully simulated. For the green tea powder, the most important aroma compounds were identified as (Z)-4-heptenal, 3?methyl-2,4-nonanedione, (E,E,Z)-2,4,6-nonatrienal, and vanillin. Except for 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione, aroma compounds were at consistently higher concentrations in black tea as compared to the green tea. A total of five black teas of different origins were analyzed and compared using AEDA and SIDA. No difference in the aroma compound composition was observed. There were, however, significant differences in aroma compound concentrations, especially for linalool, geraniol, and (E)-β-damascenone. All black teas were successfully simulated using the 18 most potent aroma compounds.
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