Characterization of Non-Volatile and Volatile in Flat Green Teas Processed by Green, Yellow, and Purple-Colored Leaves Using Multi-Sensory Analysis and Metabolomics

Teas processed from specialty-colored tea leaves possess distinctive quality profiles shaped by their volatile and non-volatile compounds, which serve as critical metrics for evaluating tea cultivars. In this study, we comprehensively characterized the quality attributes of flat green teas produced from three tea cultivars—green-leaved ‘FDDB’, yellow-leaved ‘ZH2’, and purple-leaved ‘ZJ’—using an integrated analytical approach including sensory evaluation, widely targeted metabolomics, GC-E-nose, and HS-SPME-GC-MS. Sensory evaluation revealed distinct sensory characteristics among teas processed from the three cultivars with different leaf colors. GC-E-nose analysis further confirmed that the aroma profiles of these tea samples could be clearly distinguished based on leaf color. Metabolomic analysis identified a total of 2050 non-volatile compounds, among which 18 amino acids, 5 phenolic acids, and 4 flavonoids were pinpointed as key contributors to the unique taste profiles of infusions from ZH2 and ZJ teas. Additionally, a total of 1100 volatile compounds were detected, with 94, 75, and 90 key aroma-active compounds identified in FDDB, ZH2, and ZJ teas, respectively. Collectively, in this study, systematic analysis revealed significant differences in both volatile and non-volatile chemical compositions across the three tea cultivars. These findings provide a scientific foundation for understanding the processing suitability and quality formation mechanisms of tea cultivars with distinct leaf colors.