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Investigation of the Aroma Profile of Green Tea Leaves Using Organic Synthesis and Conventional Analytical Techniques



Author(s)

Toshio Hasegawa1, Takashi Fujita1, Yasutsugu Tsukumo1, Takashi Fujihara1, Daisuke Jingu2, Atsushi Takahashi3 and Kenta Nakajima3

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DOI:10.17265/2159-5828/2014.01.002

1. Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
2. Faculty of Science, Saitama University, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
3. Green Tea Laboratory, Saitama Prefectural Agriculture and Forestry Research Center, Saitama 358-0042, Japan

Although many aroma components have been identified in green tea leaves, the aroma compounds contributing to green tea’s characteristic odor have not yet been reported. The authors recently reported that aroma components with a matcha-like odor are present in both green tea and black tea prepared from the Sayamakaori tea cultivar. This matcha-like odor is similar to the odor of commercial available matcha (high-quality powdered green tea), and is a specific odor feature of green tea leaves. At present, the green-tea odor is thought to arise from the combination of a large number of constituents. Recent reports indicate that a complex interaction between olfactory receptors and odorants is important for the evaluation of the odors. Taking into consideration these findings, the authors investigated the aroma profile of green tea, focusing on the characteristic molecular structures of the constituents that give matcha-like odor. Using a combination of organic synthesis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry plus gas chromatography-olfactometry, the authors identified aroma components with matcha-like odors in five other tea cultivars. This investigation also revealed that several compounds with a formyl group were important constituents of the aroma of green tea leaves, although the odor of each constituent was not individually similar to the tea’s overall aroma. The authors found for the first time a group of key components that have the matcha-like odor.

Aroma profile, green tea leaves, matcha-like odor, formyl group, aldehyde, complex odor.