Changes in profiles of volatile compounds and prediction of the storage year of organic green tea during the long-term storage.

• 124 volatile compounds during the storage of organic green tea by SDE-GC–MS were identified. • Variations of volatile compounds in organic green tea during storage (1–16 years) were explored. • Key volatile compounds related to the storage years were screened. • The content of six volatile compounds showed good predictive ability for the storage years. In the present study, the volatile compounds in organic green tea with a continuous storage period (ranging from 1 to 16 years) were comprehensively analyzed and compared through SDE-GC–MS and chemometrics. The results revealed that the total of 124 volatiles were identified, and their total amount was increased with the prolongation of the storage years. Ketones, alcohols, esters, and aromatic hydrocarbons were the main types of volatiles in organic green tea, among which 26 volatile compounds were significantly correlated with storage years, and six volatile compounds that were most seriously affected by the storage years. The results of the support vector machine classification combined with multiple linear regression analysis showed that the content-period prediction model for the six volatile compounds can accurately predict the storage years of organic green tea. Therefore, this study offers novel insights into volatile compounds changes during the storage of green tea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]