Characteristic aroma analysis and interaction study of key aroma compounds of Chuanhong congou black tea

Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (HS–SPME–GC–MS) and Odor Activity Value (OAV) analysis were used to characterize the aroma components of Chuanhong congou black tea. The key aroma compounds were screened by combining Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discrimination Analysis (OPLS-DA) model, and Variable Importance Projection (VIP). The perceived interactions among the key aroma compounds in the tea were analyzed using Feller summation model and S-curve. Thus, 89 volatile aroma compounds were identified in the samples. Thirty key aroma compounds (OAV > 1) were screened by OAV, PCA (R 2 Xcum = 0.941, Q 2 cum = 0.897), and OPLS-DA (R 2 cum > 0.9, Q 2 cum > 0.9). Results showed a good model fit and more effective clustering of the samples. Finally, eight key aroma compounds were screened, which included trans-2-Hexenal, 2-hexenal, linalool, hexanal, phenylacetaldehyde, methyl salicylate, benzaldehyde, and ( E )-linalool oxide (furan type). The perceived interactive relationships among the key aroma substances showed that 12 of the 15 groups of binary compounds had masking effects and 3 groups had additive effects. The results would serve as a reference for improving the quality of Chuanhong congou black tea.