Improving flavor of Wuyi rock tea processed from rain-soaked leaves by optimizing withering conditions

Jiayao Tan; Zhou Fang; Caiyun Tian; Chengzhe Zhou; Cheng Zhang; Lele Jiang; Anru Zheng; Niannian Yang; Yuqiong Guo

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142762

Improving flavor of Wuyi rock tea processed from rain-soaked leaves by optimizing withering conditions

Food Chem. 2025 Jan 3:471:142762. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142762. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jiayao Tan¹, Zhou Fang², Caiyun Tian¹, Chengzhe Zhou¹, Cheng Zhang¹, Lele Jiang¹, Anru Zheng¹, Niannian Yang¹, Yuqiong Guo³

Affiliations

¹ Anxi College of Tea Science, College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
² Wuyishan Yongsheng Tea Industry Co., Ltd, Wuyishan City, Nanping 353000, China.
³ Anxi College of Tea Science, College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; Tea Green Cultivation and Processing Collaborative Innovation Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China. Electronic address: guoyq828@163.com.

PMID: 39788012
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142762

Abstract

Rainy weather restricts the formation of high-quality Wuyi rock tea (WRT). Herein, an optimized withering process for rain-soaked leaves was developed using response surface methodology. Results showed that increasing the withering temperature, relative humidity, and withering time from 25 °C to 40 °C, 80 % to 97 %, and 3 to 6 h, respectively, effectively improved the sensory qualities of the optimized primary WRT (WRTO) prepared from rain-soaked leaves compared with those before optimization. The high content of soluble sugars, L-theanine, catechins, esters, alcohols, terpenoids, ketones, aldehydes and aromatics contributed significantly to the formation of the unique flavor of WRTO, which was significantly increased after optimizing the withering process. The flavor wheel of WRT-O was constructed, and its unique flavor was dominated by thickness and smoothness taste and floral, fruity, and sweet aroma. This study offers a theoretical reference for quality control of WRT produced from rain-soaked leaves.

Keywords: Nonvolatile compounds; Rain-soaked leaves; Volatile compounds; Withering optimization; Wuyi rock tea.