Changes in Volatile Compounds of Paochung Tea during Storage

News source: Taiwan Tea Experiment Station, Taiwan ROC, 2001-02-01

Volatile Compounds in Tea

Changes in the volatile compounds of tea are greatly affected by the temperature during storage. A total of 20~30 volatile compounds were identified in Paochung teas. One of these, dimethyl sulfide, was found to be the most abundant. In samples stored at 0 and 25oC, the levels of 3 components, e.g. dimethyl sulfide, ethyl acetate and trans-2-hexanal, decreased. In contrast, the levels of 5 components, acetic acid, propionaldehyde, 1-pentene-3-ol, n-capronaldehyde and 4-methyl-1,2-heptylamine, increased during storage.

Distinguishing Fresh from Aged Tea

Apart from acetic acid, it is probably the components which increase which are the source of the aged flavor. According to the results, it may be easy to distinguish between fresh and aged teas.

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