Optimizing Processing Techniques of Oolong Tea Balancing between High Retention of Catechins and Sensory Quality

Catechins are the major flavor substances in teas, which have a variety of health effects; however, high catechin and high sensory quality are a pair of contradictions that are difficult to coordinate. To explore the processing procedure with high catechins and high sensory quality, a single-factor processing experiment was carried out over the processing production of oolong tea. Combined with orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), correlation analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA), the optimal production procedure for oolong tea is as follows: red light withering for 8 h, leaf rotating for 10 min with a total standing time for 8 h, drum roasting for 5 min at 290 °C, low-temperature rolling (flattening at 4 °C for 5 min, without pressure for 1 min and under pressure for 5 min), microwave drying (800 W for 7.5 min). This study demonstrates a significant increase in the retention of catechins, which contributes to the mellow and brisk tastes of oolong tea, addressing the challenge of catechin content and sensory quality. Our study provides a novel insight into the relationship between the oolong tea processing and flavor formation.