{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,17]],"date-time":"2026-01-17T16:19:09Z","timestamp":1768666749644,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,15]],"date-time":"2026-01-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768435200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005230","name":"Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["CSTB2022NSCQ-MSX1648"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CSTB2022NSCQ-MSX1648"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005230","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Chongqing University of Chinese Medicine \u201cSan Qi Ming Shi\u201d Competency Enhancement Plan Project","award":["SQMS2024QNXM-020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SQMS2024QNXM-020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Hawk tea (Litsea coreana Levl. var. lanuginosa), a naturally caffeine-free herbal beverage widely consumed in Southwest China, is characterized by a pronounced camphoraceous note that often deters first-time consumers. In this study, hawk tea leaves were subjected to solid-state fermentation with four microbial strains\u2014Monascus purpureus, Aspergillus cristatus, Bacillus subtilis, and Blastobotrys adeninivorans. The volatile compounds of unfermented and fermented hawk teas were identified by ultra-fast gas chromatography electronic nose (ultra-fast GC e-nose), gas chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography\u2013ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) analyses, respectively. Furthermore, the calculation of odor activity values (OAVs) and relative odor activity value (ROAV) revealed that 6 and 25 volatile chemicals, including perillaldehyde (OAV 3.692) and linalool (ROAV 100), were the main contributors to the floral, fruity, and woody aroma of fermented hawk tea. Sensory evaluation confirmed that fermentation generally enhanced woody notes while significantly reducing the characteristic camphoraceous and oil oxidation odors. Notably, the Blastobotrys adeninivorans-fermented sample exhibited the most pronounced floral and fruity nuances, accompanied by significantly elevated aroma complexity and acceptability. Consequently, Blastobotrys adeninivorans represents a promising starter culture for the improvement of hawk tea flavor.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15020324","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,15]],"date-time":"2026-01-15T14:35:38Z","timestamp":1768487738000},"page":"324","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Screening of Four Microbes for Solid-State Fermentation of Hawk Tea to Improve Its Flavor: Electronic Nose\/GC-MS\/GC-IMS-Guided Selection"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Yi-Ran","family":"Yang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Chinese Materia Medica, Chongqing University of Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 402760, China"},{"name":"College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wei-Guo","family":"Cao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Chinese Materia Medica, Chongqing University of Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 402760, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chen-Yu","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Chinese Materia Medica, Chongqing University of Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 402760, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shu-Yan","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Chinese Materia Medica, Chongqing University of Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 402760, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Qin","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Chinese Materia Medica, Chongqing University of Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 402760, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"173","DOI":"10.1038\/s42003-019-0396-4","article-title":"Caffeine-free hawk tea lowers cholesterol by reducing free cholesterol uptake and the production of very-low-density lipoprotein","volume":"2","author":"Feng","year":"2019","journal-title":"Commun. Biol."},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"107","article-title":"Hawk tea, a traditional and healthy natural beverage in south China","volume":"Volume 6","author":"Grumezescu","year":"2019","journal-title":"Non-Alcoholic Beverages"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"115707","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lwt.2023.115707","article-title":"Optimization of pile-fermentation process, quality and microbial diversity analysis of dark hawk tea (Machilus rehderi)","volume":"192","author":"Yang","year":"2024","journal-title":"LWT"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1368","DOI":"10.1080\/13880209.2017.1302482","article-title":"A review on phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Litsea coreana","volume":"55","author":"Jia","year":"2017","journal-title":"Pharm. Biol."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"265","DOI":"10.1007\/s11274-023-03701-5","article-title":"Dissecting the role of microorganisms in tea production of different fermentation levels: A multifaceted review of their action mechanisms, quality attributes and future perspectives","volume":"39","author":"Assad","year":"2023","journal-title":"World J. Microbiol. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cai, M., Huang, L., Dong, S., Diao, N., Ye, W., Peng, Z., and Fang, X. (2023). Enhancing the flavor profile of summer green tea via fermentation with Aspergillus niger RAF106. Foods, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods12183420"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"135462","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2023.135462","article-title":"Changes in the volatile compounds and characteristic aroma during liquid-state fermentation of instant dark tea by Eurotium cristatum","volume":"410","author":"An","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3598","DOI":"10.1002\/jsfa.10353","article-title":"Insight into effects of isolated Eurotium cristatum from Pingwu Fuzhuan brick tea on the fermentation process and quality characteristics of Fuzhuan brick tea","volume":"100","author":"Xiao","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Sci. Food Agric."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5447","DOI":"10.1080\/10408398.2021.2020718","article-title":"A critical review of Fuzhuan brick tea: Processing, chemical constituents, health benefits and potential risk","volume":"63","author":"Chen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"139864","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2024.139864","article-title":"Effects of solid-state fermentation with Aspergillus cristatus (MK346334) on the dynamics changes in the chemical and flavor profile of dark tea by HS-SPME-GC-MS, HS-GC-IMS and electronic nose","volume":"455","author":"Zhang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_11","first-page":"127","article-title":"Screening of Monascus as cheese starter and its effects on physicochemical, texture and antioxidant properties of cheese","volume":"49","author":"Xu","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Food Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"168","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lwt.2019.04.092","article-title":"Analysis of bacterial and fungal communities by Illumina MiSeq platforms and characterization of Aspergillus cristatus in Fuzhuan brick tea","volume":"110","author":"Rui","year":"2019","journal-title":"LWT"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"113854","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2023.113854","article-title":"Characteristic volatiles of Fu brick tea formed primarily by extracellular enzymes during Aspergillus cristatus fermentation","volume":"177","author":"Wang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"140658","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2024.140658","article-title":"Impact of Bacillus subtilis on Chinese yellow rice wine (Huangjiu) fermentation: Method variations and flavor analysis","volume":"460","author":"Peng","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3290","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jproteome.1c00205","article-title":"Proteogenomics study of Blastobotrys adeninivorans TMCC 70007\u2014A dominant yeast in the fermentation process of Pu-erh tea","volume":"20","author":"Tian","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Proteome Res."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"464931","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chroma.2024.464931","article-title":"Discrimination and screening of volatile metabolites in Atractylodis rhizoma from different varieties using headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry, and ultra-fast gas chromatography electronic nose","volume":"1725","author":"Peng","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Chromatogr. A"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1573","DOI":"10.1002\/cbdv.201600099","article-title":"Comparative evaluation of the chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the volatile oils of hawk tea from six botanical origins","volume":"13","author":"Yu","year":"2016","journal-title":"Chem. Biodivers."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"131933","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2021.131933","article-title":"Characterization of the aroma profiles of oolong tea made from three tea cultivars by both GC-MS and GC-IMS","volume":"376","author":"Guo","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100772","DOI":"10.1016\/j.crfs.2024.100772","article-title":"Characterization of the key flavor compounds in cream cheese by GC-MS, GC-IMS, sensory analysis and multivariable statistics","volume":"8","author":"Zheng","year":"2024","journal-title":"Curr. Res. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_20","first-page":"e14184","article-title":"Effect of different cooking times on the fat flavor compounds of pork belly","volume":"46","author":"Bi","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Food Biochem."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Rodr\u00edguez-Noriega, S., Buenrostro-Figueroa, J.J., Rebolloso-Padilla, O.N., Corona-Flores, J., Camposeco-Montejo, N., Flores-Naveda, A., and Ruelas-Chac\u00f3n, X. (2021). Developing a descriptive sensory characterization of flour tortilla applying Flash Profile. Foods, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods10071473"},{"key":"ref_22","first-page":"2182","article-title":"Study on dynamic changes of odor components in Cornus officinalis during processing by ultra-fast gas phase electronic nose","volume":"33","author":"Qian","year":"2022","journal-title":"Chin. Pharm. J."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tifs.2017.12.006","article-title":"Use of principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) for multivariate association between bioactive compounds and functional properties in foods: A critical perspective","volume":"72","author":"Granato","year":"2017","journal-title":"Trends Food Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bisele, M., Bencsik, M., Lewis, M.G.C., and Barnett, C.T. (2017). Optimisation of a machine learning algorithm in human locomotion using principal component and discriminant function analyses. PLoS ONE, 12.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0183990"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2372","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2621.2012.03112.x","article-title":"Development of regression model to differentiate quality of black tea (Dianhong): Correlate aroma properties with instrumental data using multiple linear regression analysis","volume":"47","author":"Pang","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int. J. Food Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"462101","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chroma.2021.462101","article-title":"Chemical fingerprinting strategies based on comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography combined with gas chromatography-olfactometry to capture the unique signature of Piemonte peppermint essential oil (Mentha \u00d7 piperita var. Italo-Mitcham)","volume":"1645","author":"Gabetti","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Chromatogr. A"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bergman, M.E., Davis, B., and Phillips, M.A. (2019). Medically useful plant terpenoids: Biosynthesis, occurrence, and mechanism of action. Molecules, 24.","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules24213961"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1283","DOI":"10.1016\/S0031-9422(98)00170-8","article-title":"Biotransformation of the sesquiterpenoid (+)-\u03b3-Gurjunene using a plant pathogenic fungus, Glomerella cingulata, as a biocatalyst","volume":"49","author":"Miyazawa","year":"1998","journal-title":"Phytochemistry"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106643","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfca.2024.106643","article-title":"Identification of volatile and odor-active compounds in Maojian herbal tea (Dracocephalum rupestre Hance)","volume":"135","author":"Zhang","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Food Compos. Anal."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhu, J., Zhou, Y., and Wen, H. (2025). Analysis of differences in volatile components of Rucheng Baimao (Camellia pubescens) black tea in different seasons. Foods, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods14050763"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100289","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fochx.2022.100289","article-title":"Effects of different tea tree varieties on the color, aroma, and taste of Chinese Enshi green tea","volume":"14","author":"Li","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Chem. X"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"91","DOI":"10.5650\/jos.ess15176","article-title":"Chemical composition and characteristic odor compounds in essential oil from Alismatis Rhizoma (Tubers of Alisma orientale)","volume":"65","author":"Miyazawa","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Oleo Sci."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"90","DOI":"10.1111\/jfq.12177","article-title":"Characterization of odor-active compounds in gabiroba fruits (Campomanesia xanthocarpa O. Berg)","volume":"39","author":"Ferreira","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Food Qual."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ye, J., Zhang, Q., Cheng, P., Wang, Y., Zou, J., Lin, S., Li, M., Jia, M., Chen, Y., and Jia, X. (2024). Aviation mutagenesis alters the content of volatile compounds in Dahongpao (Camellia sinensis) leaves and improves tea quality. Foods, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods13060946"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"134532","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2022.134532","article-title":"Exploring volatile aroma and non-volatile bioactive compounds diversity in wild populations of rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus Schleid.)","volume":"404","author":"Raffo","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100585","DOI":"10.1016\/j.crfs.2023.100585","article-title":"Uncovering the differences in flavor volatiles of different colored foxtail millets based on gas chromatography-ion migration spectrometry and chemometrics","volume":"7","author":"Jin","year":"2023","journal-title":"Curr. Res. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"115542","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2024.115542","article-title":"Integrated metabolome and transcriptome analysis provides insights into the mechanisms of terpenoid biosynthesis in tea plants (Camellia sinensis)","volume":"201","author":"Wei","year":"2025","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hong, X., Wang, C., Jiang, R., Hu, T., Zheng, X., Huang, J., Liu, Z., and Li, Q. (2023). Characterization of the key aroma compounds in different aroma types of Chinese yellow tea. Foods, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods12010027"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"131587","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2021.131587","article-title":"Aroma effects of key volatile compounds in Keemun black tea at different grades: HS-SPME-GC-MS, sensory evaluation, and chemometrics","volume":"373","author":"Su","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11656","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jafc.1c04378","article-title":"New insights into stress-induced \u03b2-ocimene biosynthesis in tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves during Oolong tea processing","volume":"69","author":"Chen","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106","DOI":"10.1186\/s12934-021-01598-z","article-title":"Adaptive laboratory evolution of \u03b2-caryophyllene producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae","volume":"20","author":"Godara","year":"2021","journal-title":"Microb. Cell Fact."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14582","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-64899-4","article-title":"Examination of internal metabolome and VOCs profile of brewery yeast and their mutants producing beer with improved aroma","volume":"14","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"154781","DOI":"10.1016\/j.phymed.2023.154781","article-title":"Bornyl acetate: A promising agent in phytomedicine for inflammation and immune modulation","volume":"114","author":"Zhao","year":"2023","journal-title":"Phytomedicine"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"454","DOI":"10.1002\/ffj.1252","article-title":"Characteristic odour components of Citrus inflata Hort. ex Tanaka (Mochiyu) cold-pressed peel oil","volume":"18","author":"Onishi","year":"2003","journal-title":"Flavour Fragrance J."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101716","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fochx.2024.101716","article-title":"Unraveling the chemosensory characteristics on different types of spirits based on sensory contours and quantitative targeted flavoromics analysis","volume":"23","author":"Huang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Chem. X"},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106393","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfca.2024.106393","article-title":"Exploring changes in key aroma-active compounds of soy sauce due to different fermentation processes","volume":"133","author":"Gao","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Food Compos. Anal."},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112845","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2023.112845","article-title":"Revelation of volatile contributions in green teas with different aroma types by GC-MS and GC-IMS","volume":"169","author":"Liu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9722","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jafc.2c02860","article-title":"Characterization of odorants in southern mountain mint, Pycnanthemum pycnanthemoides","volume":"70","author":"Dein","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"116038","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2025.116038","article-title":"Characteristic flavor compounds in soy protein isolate and their correlation with sensory attributes","volume":"206","author":"Xu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."}],"container-title":["Foods"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2304-8158\/15\/2\/324\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,17]],"date-time":"2026-01-17T05:40:15Z","timestamp":1768628415000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2304-8158\/15\/2\/324"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,15]]},"references-count":49,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]}},"alternative-id":["foods15020324"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/foods15020324","relation":{},"ISSN":["2304-8158"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2304-8158","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,15]]}}}