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Comparative analysis of taste profiles and metabolic characteristics in white tea processed from wild and cultivated
Xingyun Zhao1,2, Ping Li3, Xueyin Luo2
1School of Crop Production Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
Background:
Wild tea trees represent valuable germplasm resources, with distinctive chemical characteristics and environmental resilience, but the biochemical basis underlying their flavor characteristics and potential contribution to white tea quality remain poorly understood. As a minimally processed tea, white tea provides a useful system for examining how differences among wild and cultivated raw materials are reflected in metabolite composition and sensory quality.
Results:
White teas produced from a wild super-large-leaf type (LWT), a wild small-leaf type (SWT), and the cultivated cultivar Fuding Dabai (FDDB) were evaluated using quantitative descriptive analysis and untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics. Sensory assessment revealed significant differences among teas (P < 0.05): LWT showed stronger bitterness and astringency, SWT greater sweetness, and FDDB more pronounced umami and mellowness. Metabolomic profiling annotated 1123 metabolites across 13 chemical classes. Principal component analysis separated wild and cultivated samples, explaining 55.21% of total variance, while orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis demonstrated robust discrimination (R2Y = 0.999, Q2 = 0.849). FDDB exhibited higher overall metabolite abundance, particularly flavonol glycosides and umami-related amino acids, whereas LWT accumulated more phenolic acids and bitter amino acids, and SWT was enriched in carbohydrates and sweet-tasting amino acids. Network and enrichment analyses further identified amino acid biosynthesis pathways as significantly associated with taste variation (P < 0.05).
Conclusion:
Taste differences between wild and cultivated white teas are closely linked to metabolite composition, especially amino acid metabolism. These findings provide a biochemical basis for evaluating wild tea germplasm and support breeding, raw material selection, and processing strategies aimed at improving specialty tea quality. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.
