{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]],"date-time":"2026-10-07T08:37:44Z","timestamp":1791362264126,"version":"4.3.1"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,20]],"date-time":"2023-07-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1689811200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Science and Technology Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences","award":["CAAS-ASTIP-TRICAAS"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CAAS-ASTIP-TRICAAS"]}]},{"name":"Science and Technology Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences","award":["CARS-19"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CARS-19"]}]},{"name":"Science and Technology Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences","award":["42277275"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["42277275"]}]},{"name":"China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA","award":["CAAS-ASTIP-TRICAAS"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CAAS-ASTIP-TRICAAS"]}]},{"name":"China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA","award":["CARS-19"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CARS-19"]}]},{"name":"China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA","award":["42277275"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["42277275"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["CAAS-ASTIP-TRICAAS"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CAAS-ASTIP-TRICAAS"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["CARS-19"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CARS-19"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["42277275"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["42277275"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Metabolites"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Tea\u2019s biochemical compounds and flavor quality vary depending on its grade ranking. Dianhong Congou black tea (DCT) is a unique tea category produced using the large-leaf tea varieties from Yunnan, China. To date, the flavor characteristics and critical components of two grades of high-quality DCT, single-bud-grade DCT (BDCT), and special-grade DCT (SDCT) manufactured mainly with single buds and buds with one leaf, respectively, are far from clear. Herein, comparisons of two grades were performed by the integration of human sensory evaluation, an electronic tongue, chromatic differences, the quantification of major components, and metabolomics. The BDCT possessed a brisk, umami taste and a brighter infusion color, while the SDCT presented a comprehensive taste and redder liquor color. Quantification analysis showed that the levels of total polyphenols, catechins, and theaflavins (TFs) were significantly higher in the BDCT. Fifty-six different key compounds were screened by metabolomics, including catechins, flavone\/flavonol glycosides, amino acids, phenolic acids, etc. Correlation analysis revealed that the sensory features of the BDCT and SDCT were attributed to their higher contents of catechins, TFs, theogallin, digalloylglucose, and accumulations of thearubigins (TRs), flavone\/flavonol glycosides, and soluble sugars, respectively. This report is the first to focus on the comprehensive evaluation of the biochemical compositions and sensory characteristics of two grades of high-quality DCT, advancing the understanding of DCT from a multi-dimensional perspective.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/metabo13070864","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,20]],"date-time":"2023-07-20T05:42:01Z","timestamp":1689831721000},"page":"864","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":26,"title":["The Integration of Metabolomics, Electronic Tongue, and Chromatic Difference Reveals the Correlations between the Critical Compounds and Flavor Characteristics of Two Grades of High-Quality Dianhong Congou Black Tea"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Shan","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture Sciences, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xujiang","family":"Shan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Linchi","family":"Niu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Le","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China"},{"name":"College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jinjin","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qinghua","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haibo","family":"Yuan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jia","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2290-9971","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tian","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture Sciences, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li, J., Yao, Y., Wang, J., Hua, J., Wang, J., Yang, Y., Dong, C., Zhou, Q., Jiang, Y., and Deng, Y. (2019). Rutin, gamma-aminobutyric acid, gallic acid and caffeine negatively affect the sweet-mellow taste of Congou black tea infusions. Molecules, 24.","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules24234221"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gao, C., Huang, Y., Li, J., Lyu, S., Wang, Z., Xie, F., Luo, Y., Zhang, F., Chen, Z., and Sun, W. (2022). Relationship between the grade and the characteristic flavor of PCT (Panyong Congou black tea). Foods, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods11182815"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"113971","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lwt.2022.113971","article-title":"Non-targeted metabolomics and electronic tongue analysis reveal the effect of rolling time on the sensory quality and nonvolatile metabolites of congou black tea","volume":"169","author":"Wu","year":"2022","journal-title":"LWT"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105899","DOI":"10.1016\/j.microc.2020.105899","article-title":"Estimation of Congou black tea quality by an electronic tongue technology combined with multivariate analysis","volume":"163","author":"Ren","year":"2021","journal-title":"Microchem. J."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"267","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2017.07.013","article-title":"A comparative study of volatile components in Dianhong teas from fresh leaves of four tea cultivars by using chromatography-mass spectrometry, multivariate data analysis, and descriptive sensory analysis","volume":"100","author":"Wang","year":"2017","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhu, J., Wang, J., Yuan, H., Ouyang, W., Li, J., Hua, J., and Jiang, Y. (2022). Effects of Fermentation Temperature and Time on the Color Attributes and Tea Pigments of Yunnan Congou Black Tea. Foods, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods11131845"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"305","DOI":"10.1080\/19476337.2022.2136761","article-title":"Profiling of volatile and non-volatile compounds in Dianhong by a combined approach of static headspace GC-MS and UPLC-MS","volume":"20","author":"Sun","year":"2022","journal-title":"CyTA J. Food"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"132058","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2022.132058","article-title":"Characterization of the key aroma-active compounds in high-grade Dianhong tea using GC-MS and GC-O combined with sensory-directed flavor analysis","volume":"378","author":"Ma","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"131976","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2021.131976","article-title":"Metabolomics combined with proteomics provides a novel interpretation of the compound differences among Chinese tea cultivars (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis) with different manufacturing suitabilities","volume":"377","author":"Chen","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"853","DOI":"10.1007\/s10068-017-0119-x","article-title":"Prediction of black tea fermentation quality indices using NIRS and nonlinear tools","volume":"26","author":"Dong","year":"2017","journal-title":"Food Sci. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"131326","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2021.131326","article-title":"New degradation mechanism of black tea pigment theaflavin involving condensation with epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate","volume":"370","author":"Tanaka","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"118918","DOI":"10.1016\/j.saa.2020.118918","article-title":"Multi-variable selection strategy based on near-infrared spectra for the rapid description of dianhong black tea quality","volume":"245","author":"Ren","year":"2021","journal-title":"Spectrochim. Acta A Mol. Biomol. Spectrosc."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2015","DOI":"10.1002\/fsn3.1489","article-title":"Qualitative discrimination of Chinese dianhong black tea grades based on a handheld spectroscopy system coupled with chemometrics","volume":"8","author":"Huang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Food Sci. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"74","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2017.10.148","article-title":"An emerging strategy for evaluating the grades of Keemun black tea by combinatory liquid chromatography-Orbitrap mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics and inhibition effects on alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase","volume":"246","author":"Guo","year":"2018","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"130803","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2021.130803","article-title":"Identification of 4-O-p-coumaroylquinic acid as astringent compound of Keemun black tea by efficient integrated approaches of mass spectrometry, turbidity analysis and sensory evaluation","volume":"368","author":"Wen","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"132126","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2022.132126","article-title":"Chemical profile of a novel ripened Pu-erh tea and its metabolic conversion during pile fermentation","volume":"378","author":"Li","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112939","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lwt.2021.112939","article-title":"Novel insight into the effect of fermentation time on quality of Yunnan Congou black tea","volume":"155","author":"Wang","year":"2022","journal-title":"LWT"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"108595","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lwt.2019.108595","article-title":"Phytochemical comparison of different tea (Camellia sinensis) cultivars and its association with sensory quality of finished tea","volume":"117","author":"Li","year":"2020","journal-title":"LWT"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6323","DOI":"10.1021\/jf301498p","article-title":"Flavor characteristics of seven grades of black tea produced in Turkey","volume":"60","author":"Alasalvar","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2071","DOI":"10.1002\/fsn3.2823","article-title":"Are organic acids really related to the sour taste difference between Chinese black tea and green tea","volume":"10","author":"Zhang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Sci. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_21","unstructured":"Wan, X. (2003). Biochemistry of Tea, China Agriculture Publishing House. [3rd ed.]."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103385","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfca.2019.103385","article-title":"A comparison of the phenolic composition of old and young tea leaves reveals a decrease in flavanols and phenolic acids and an increase in flavonols upon tea leaf maturation","volume":"86","author":"Liu","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Food Compos. Anal."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111055","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lwt.2021.111055","article-title":"Studies of quality development and major chemical composition of green tea processed from tea with different shoot maturity","volume":"142","author":"Xu","year":"2021","journal-title":"LWT"},{"key":"ref_24","first-page":"1","article-title":"Changes in targeted metabolites, enzyme activities and transcripts at different developmental stages of tea leaves: A study for understanding the biochemical basis of tea shoot plucking","volume":"39","author":"Samanta","year":"2016","journal-title":"Acta Physiol. Plant."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1501","DOI":"10.1007\/s10722-012-9938-z","article-title":"Germplasm appraisal of western Himalayan tea: A breeding strategy for yield and quality improvement","volume":"60","author":"Singh","year":"2012","journal-title":"Genet. Resour. Crop Evol."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"395","DOI":"10.1016\/S0308-8146(01)00223-0","article-title":"Changes in the chemical and sensory quality parameters of black tea due to variations of fermentation time and temperature","volume":"75","author":"Obanda","year":"2001","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2015.11.018","article-title":"Study of the dynamic changes in the non-volatile chemical constituents of black tea during fermentation processing by a non- targeted metabolomics approach","volume":"79","author":"Tan","year":"2016","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104","DOI":"10.1016\/j.toxlet.2017.06.008","article-title":"Safety assessment of green tea based beverages and dried green tea extracts as nutritional supplements","volume":"277","author":"Dekant","year":"2017","journal-title":"Toxicol Lett."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"909","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2018.01.069","article-title":"Application of metabolomics profiling in the analysis of metabolites and taste quality in different subtypes of white tea","volume":"106","author":"Yang","year":"2018","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms11010014","article-title":"Chemistry of secondary polyphenols produced during processing of tea and selected foods","volume":"11","author":"Tanaka","year":"2009","journal-title":"Int. J. Mol. Sci."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5377","DOI":"10.1021\/jf050294d","article-title":"Molecular definition of black tea taste by means of quantitative studies, taste reconstitution and omission experiments","volume":"53","author":"Scharbert","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1104926","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2023.1104926","article-title":"Analyzing the influence of withering degree on the dynamic changes in non-volatile metabolites and sensory quality of Longjing green tea by non-targeted metabolomics","volume":"10","author":"Shan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"131796","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2021.131796","article-title":"LC-MS based metabolomics and sensory evaluation reveal the critical compounds of different grades of Huangshan Maofeng green tea","volume":"374","author":"Han","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3498","DOI":"10.1021\/jf049802u","article-title":"Identification of the astringent taste compounds in black tea infusions by combining instrumental analysis and human bioresponse","volume":"52","author":"Scharbert","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"844","DOI":"10.1080\/10408398.2018.1552245","article-title":"Understanding different regulatory mechanisms of proteinaceous and non-proteinaceous amino acid formation in tea (Camellia sinensis) provides new insights into the safe and effective alteration of tea flavor and function","volume":"60","author":"Yu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr."}],"container-title":["Metabolites"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2218-1989\/13\/7\/864\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T20:15:25Z","timestamp":1760127325000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2218-1989\/13\/7\/864"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,20]]},"references-count":35,"journal-issue":{"issue":"7","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,7]]}},"alternative-id":["metabo13070864"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/metabo13070864","relation":{},"ISSN":["2218-1989"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2218-1989","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,20]]}}}