Sensory-guided and statistical characterization of key odorants driving floral differentiation in three Anhui green...

The "floral" aroma is highly valued in green tea quality and has attracted growing interest in green tea flavor research recently. However, comparative studies among them remain limited. In this study, three representative floral green teas from Anhui-Taiping Houkui (TPHK), Shucheng Xiaolanhua (SCXLH), and Lu'an Guapian (LAGP)-were analyzed using the sensomics approaches. Multi-criteria evaluation (OAV, PLS-DA, correlation) screened out five key odorants-linalool, geraniol, methyl epijasmonate, δ-valerolactone, and jasmone-as major contributors to floral differentiation. Jasmone consistently presented across all analytical dimensions, indicating its key role in both floral intensity and style. Correlation analysis based on lexicon frequency-weighted sensory attributes further revealed that floral style was shaped by not only floral-related odorants but also enhancing (e.g. lactones) and antagonistic (e.g. aldehydes, sulfur compounds) odorants. These findings provide molecular insights into the floral characteristics of Anhui green teas and offer a chemical basis for future efforts to optimize desirable floral profiles.