Aromatic profiles and enantiomeric distributions of chiral odorants in baked green teas with different picking tenderness.

• Volatiles in baked green teas with different tenderness were examined thoroughly. • cis -Linalool oxide (furanoid) and methyl salicylate were abundant in mature leaves. • Most chiral odorants had significantly higher contents in mature tea samples. • Enantiomeric ratios of most odorants were unaffected by tenderness and processing. • Evident variation on ERs of limonene, α-terpineol etc. occurred after processing. Suitable picking tenderness is an essential prerequisite for manufacturing tea. However, the influence of picking tenderness of fresh tea leaves on the aromatic components is still unclear. In this study, aromatic profiles and chiral odorants in fresh tea leaves and corresponding baked green teas with five levels of tenderness of two representative cultivars were analysed using stir bar sorptive extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. cis -Linalool oxide (furanoid) and methyl salicylate exhibited significantly increasing trends as samples of all series matured. The content of most chiral odorants was significantly high in the mature samples, and significant content variations of all enantiomers during baked green tea processing could be observed with different trends according to their precursors. In particular, the enantiomeric ratios of most chiral odorants were less influenced by the picking tenderness and processing, while drying (limonene), spreading and fixation (α-terpineol), and spreading (dihydroactinidiolide) influenced the chiral distribution of the aforementioned odorants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]