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Tea's popularity and flavor are influenced by factors like cultivation and processing methods and shaping techniques also have an impact on tea flavor. This study employed targeted metabolomics and chemometrics to investigate how shaping techniques affect the flavor of milk-flavored white tea (MFWT). The results showed that the tea cake sample with the shortest pressing time (Y90) has the highest amino acid content and milky aroma intensity. There were variations in amino acids, catechins, and soluble sugars among MFWT samples with different shaping techniques. The total contents of amino acids and catechins in tea cake sample (Y90) were significantly lower than those in the loose tea sample (SC) and bundle-like tea sample (SG), while the total sugar content was significantly higher than that in SC (P1) in Y90 remained lower relative to SC and SG (P

[Display omitted] • Different taste and aroma characteristics were presented in 4 white tea and their processing samples. • The maturity of fresh tea leaves was the primary factor that promoted the formation of milky flavor. • The processing method was the key to inducing milky aroma under mature fresh tea leaves conditions. Targeted metabolomics combined with chemometrics were applied to investigate the flavor profiles of 4 white tea samples, which were produced from different maturity fresh tea leaves with different withering methods. Mature leaves that underwent novel withering process at higher temperature (28-30℃) and humidity (75 ± 3 %) (MN) were characterized by intense milky flavor. The content of free amino acids, catechins, and soluble sugars in MN were significantly lower than that in the other 3 tea samples, resulting in a sweet and mellow taste with low bitterness. Meanwhile, MN possessed the highest intensity of milky aroma, which could be mainly attributed to the existence of dihydro-5-pentyl-2(3H)-furanone and 2-pentyl-furan as the key volatile substances with coconut and creamy fragrance. These findings provide insight into the substance foundations of milky flavor, and identified leaf maturity and processing method as the determining factors of the milk-flavored white tea (MFWT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]