The unique aroma of the Hanzhong black tea is due to the special location of the harvesting
place and specific manufacturing processes. In this study, a solid phase extraction
method (SPE) as sample preparation tool was combined with gas chromatography (GC)
as separation technique and several detection systems such as mass spectrometry (MS),
flame ionization (FID) and olfactometry (O), which, together with sensorial analysis
were used to characterize aroma compounds in Hanzhong black tea infusion. Seventy
three aroma compounds were identified and quantified in the tea infusion by the GC-MS
and GC-FID methods, respectively. Among them, odor perceptions of 24 compounds were
characterized by the GC-O analysis. It was found that linalool oxide I, II and III,
E,E-2,4-nonadienal, 4,5-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-one, 1-octen-3-one,
E,Z-2,6-nonadienal, bis(2-methyl-3-furyl) disulfide had higher odor activity value
in the tea infusion and offered floral, fatty, and caramel, mushroom, cucumber, and
cooked beef -like odors, respectively. Overall, floral and mushroom and caramel -like
odors significantly dominated in the Hanzhong black tea infusion.