The effect of light on the aroma of green tea during the withering process is still unclear. The impact of yellow light withering on the aroma of steamed green tea was investigated. Results showed that yellow light irradiation enhanced the floral quality of the tea. Aroma dilution analysis was performed on the sample with optimal aroma under yellow light treatment (Y68) and its control (N68) using GC-O/MS, resulting in 49 aroma active compounds with flavor dilution factors ranging from 64 to 8192 were identified. Through odor activity value analysis as well as recombination and omission experiments, 8 and 7 key odorants were identified in Y68 and N68, respectively, with 5 differentiating metabolites. Addition experiments confirmed that the difference in floral intensity between Y68 and N68 was mainly caused by linalool and indole, while the differences in fresh aroma and tender aroma intensity were respectively attributed to (Z)-3-hexenol and dimethyl sulfide.
Qin et al. (2026) studied this question.