Volatile components obtained from oolong teas and preliminary evaluation on consumer preferences for these products

Six types of oolong tea products from four different regions were investigated. Their volatile components were obtained by Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) method and analyzed by GC – MS. Results showed that hexanal (ranged from 1.08-1.52%), 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (0.55-4.30%), (Z)-linalool oxide (5.44-17.95%), (E)-linalool oxide (4.86-12.13%), linalool (1.23-8.26%), epoxylinalool (0.80-1.16%) and methyl salicylate (0.70-2.51%) could be identified as the major compounds of all six tea products. These products were also classified into 3 groups based on their volatile compositions by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method. The consumer preference analysis (n = 84) showed a significant difference in odor preference levels of these products.