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. 2025 Jul 8:29:102758.
doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2025.102758. eCollection 2025 Jul.

Effect of hydrogen carbonate in brewing water on the aroma of tea infusions

Mingming Zhang  1   2   3 , Meiqin Li  1   4 , Fang Wang  1 , Jianxin Chen  1 , Yifan Li  1 , Gensheng Chen  1 , Yuwan Wang  1 , Zhihui Feng  1 , Junfeng Yin  1
Affiliations

Effect of hydrogen carbonate in brewing water on the aroma of tea infusions

Mingming Zhang et al. Food Chem X. .

Abstract

Tea aroma is significantly influenced by hydrogen carbonate (HCO3 -) in brewing water. This study investigated the impact of HCO3 - in water on the aroma of brewed tea infusions using sensory evaluation, headspace solid-phase microextraction, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques. As the concentration of HCO3 - in water increased, the purity of tea aroma diminished, while attributes related to cooked flavors and sweetness intensified; this effect is particularly pronounced at high temperatures and prolonged brewing times. HCO3 - changed the concentration of volatiles, resulting in a significant decrease in concentrations of dimethyl sulfide, β-ionone, and other compounds. Furthermore, the presence of HCO3 - markedly decreased EGCG content while increasing GCG content in tea infusion; these variations in catechin concentrations were correlated with changes in dimethyl sulfide and β-ionone concentrations. These findings enhance the understanding of flavor chemistry concerning tea and water, provide valuable insights for the scientific selection of tea brewing water.

Keywords: Hydrogen carbonate; Tea aroma; Tea brewing water; Water chemistry.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Unlabelled Image
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Influence of natural water with different HCO3− content on aroma quality of brewed tea. “**” indicates the level of significance, P < 0.01.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Sensory evaluation of the aroma of tea infusion brewed with different concentrations of simulated water.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
PLS-DA of tea infusion aroma brewed with simulated water and the heat maps with the components of VIP > 1. A: PLS-DA of tea infusion aroma brewed with deionised water (WA), NaCl simulated water (NaCl) and NaHCO3 simulated water (NaHCO3); B: PLS-DA of tea infusion aroma brewed with deionised water (WA) and NaHCO3 simulated water; C: heat maps with VIP > 1 compound in the two models (WA and NaHCO3).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Changes of key aroma compounds in tea infusion brewed with different concentrations of NaHCO3 simulated water.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Sensory evaluation of instant tea under different brewing conditions. RW1- brewed with room temperature (25 °C) deionised water for 10 s; RN1- brewed with room temperature NaHCO3 simulated water for 10 s; RW2- brewing with room temperature deionised water for 3 min; RN2- brewed with room temperature NaHCO3 simulated water for 3 min. BW1- brewed with boiling (100 °C) deionised water for 10 s; BN1- brewed with boiling NaHCO3 simulated water for 10 s; BW2- brewed with boiling deionised water for 3 min; BN2- brewed with boiling NaHCO3 simulated water for 3 min.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Analysis of key aroma compounds in tea infusion brewed under different brewing conditions. RW1- brewed with room temperature (25 °C) deionised water for 10 s; RN1- brewed with room temperature NaHCO3 simulated water for 10 s; RW2- brewing with room temperature deionised water for 3 min; RN2- brewed with room temperature NaHCO3 simulated water for 3 min. BW1- brewed with boiling (100 °C) deionised water for 10 s; BN1- brewed with boiling NaHCO3 simulated water for 10 s; BW2- brewed with boiling deionised water for 3 min; BN2- brewed with boiling NaHCO3 simulated water for 3 min.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
The influence of simulated water under different brewing conditions on catechins in tea infusion and its relationship with aroma changes. A:Analysis of catechin content in tea infusion brewed under different brewing conditions. RW1- brewed with room temperature (25 °C) deionised water for 10 s; RN1- brewed with room temperature NaHCO3 simulated water for 10 s; RW2- brewing with room temperature deionised water for 3 min; RN2- brewed with room temperature NaHCO3 simulated water for 3 min. BW1- brewed with boiling (100 °C) deionised water for 10 s; BN1- brewed with boiling NaHCO3 simulated water for 10 s; BW2- brewed with boiling deionised water for 3 min; BN2- brewed with boiling NaHCO3 simulated water for 3 min. B: Correlation analysis between important catechins content and key aroma substances changes. The size of the circle indicates the degree of relevance.
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