Evolution of Characteristic Aroma During Processing of Space-Induced Mutant Dahongpao Tea and the Preliminary Exploration of Its Olfactory Perception

Space-induced mutation is a novel approach in tea plant breeding, but its effect on processing-induced aroma formation remains unclear. This study analyzed the dynamic changes in VOCs during the processing of space-induced mutants of Dahongpao tea. The results showed that processing significantly reshaped the VOC profile, with the fermentation stage exerting the greatest impact and terpenoids serving as the major contributors. Seven characteristic VOCs (α-phellandrene, β-phellandrene, d-sylvestrene, iso-geraniol, seudenone, hexyl benzene, and nerol) were identified and a transformation network linking floral, green, woody, almond, and fruity attributes was constructed. Molecular docking revealed that VOCs exhibiting green, woody and almond characteristics could form strong binding interactions with more than 100 olfactory receptors, whereas those with floral and fruity characteristics bound to fewer receptors. This finding indicates that during the processing, the first three odor characteristics may be perceived more prominently. Overall, this study provided a theoretical basis for the aroma evaluation of space-induced mutant tea.