Metabolomic analysis of volatile and non-volatile compounds in mulberry leaf white tea processed with different withering methods

With economic development and the diversification and improvement of consumption patterns, there is a growing concern about food health. Mulberry leaves, a kind of natural resource with the homology of medicinal and edible properties, contain various bioactive compounds. In this study, the key active constituents, including tea polyphenols, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), in mulberry leaf white tea were characterized after different withering methods. Additionally, the effects of different withering methods on volatile and non-volatile compounds were analyzed using metabolomics. The findings indicated that non-volatile metabolites were primarily upregulated across all withering methods. Metabolic pathway analysis identified starch and sucrose metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism as the key pathways influenced.