Abstract
Scenting tea with Jasminum sambac is beneficial to forming a unique taste of jasmine tea, which is regulated by numerous compounds. To investigate the relationship between metabolites in jasmine and jasmine tea, as well as the impact of metabolites on the characteristic taste of jasmine tea, the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, sensory evaluation, and multivariate analysis were applied in this study. A total of 585 and 589 compounds were identified in jasmine tea and jasmine, respectively. After scented, jasmine tea added 70 compounds, which were believed to come from jasmine flowers. Furthermore, seventy-four compounds were identified as key characteristic compounds of jasmine tea, and twenty-two key differential metabolite compounds were believed to be used to distinguish jasmine tea scented differently and contribute to the taste of jasmine tea. Additionally, the relationship between taste compounds and aroma quality was also explored, and it was found that five compounds were positively correlated with the aroma properties of jasmine tea and seven compounds were negatively correlated with the aroma properties of jasmine tea. Overall, these findings provided insights into the future study of the mechanism of taste formation in jasmine tea and provided the theoretical basis for the production of jasmine tea.