Aroma characterization and their changes during the processing of black teas from the cultivar, Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze cv. Jinmudan

Jinmudan (JMD) black tea is processed from the JMD cultivar (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze cv. Jinmudan). Dried JMD black tea (JMD-D) received a score of 7.43 in the quantitative descriptive analysis, indicating that it had the strongest fruity flavor. Many volatile compounds (129) were identified by solvent assisted flavor evaporation and gas chromatograph mass spectrometry. In total, 26 aroma active compounds, including (Z)-methyl epi-jasmonate (flavour dilution factor (FD): 128–1024), benzeneacetaldehyde (FD: 512–1024), linalool (FD: 256–1024), geraniol (FD: 256–512), jasmine lactone (FD: 64–1024), were identified in JMD-D and controls through an aroma extract dilution analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry olfactometry. On the basis of the FD values, odor activity values, and relative quantification results, the volatiles of fruit flavor derived from lipids, such as jasmine lactone, were prominent in JMD-D compared to the controls. During the processing of the four types of black tea, the volatile fraction concentration increased mainly from the fresh leaf to the fermentation stage and decreased in the drying stage.