Analysis of the Effect of Rolling Speed on the Congou Black Tea Quality Using Electronic Tongue and Metabolomics

This research was undertaken to explore the effects of different rolling speeds (35, 45, 55 and 60 r/min) on the flavor quality and internal quality components of Congou black tea from the Jiukeng cultivar. Flavor attributes including taste and color were determined by sensory evaluation, color difference analysis and electronic tongue analysis. Quantitative analysis of tea pigments and theaflavin components were performed by systematic analysis and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In addition, metabolomics based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole orbitrap high resolution-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS) was used to determine the non-volatile compounds in Congou black tea. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to investigate the effect of different rolling speeds on the internal quality components of Congou black tea. The results showed that a rolling speed of 45 r/min resulted in the best sensory quality of Congou black tea, especially in taste and aroma, as verified by color difference and electronic tongue analysis. Sixteen significantly differential metabolites were identified among the four tea samples, including procyanidin C₁, vitexin, isovitexin, asparagine, aspartic acid, gallic acid, malic acid, succinic acid, and gluconic acid. It was found that rolling speed showed a significant influence on phenolic acids, organic acids and tea pigments (theaflavins, thearubigins, and theabrownins), but had little effect on other metabolites. The contents of thearubigins, carbohydrates and aspartic acid and quality index were highest in Congou black prepared with a rolling speed of 45 r/min, and the contents of organic acids, phenolic acids and theabrownins were lowest, which indicated that this rolling speed was more favorable for the formation of the flavor quality of Congou black tea. This study is expected to provide a theoretical basis and technical guidance for the improvement of Congou black tea quality and the precise production of Congou black tea.