Metabolite profiling and 'dryness'-like effect analysis of 'Chenpi' plant tea (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium peel) with and without steaming peocessing.

Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium peel ('Chenpi' tea) is a popular food-medicine functional tea, which mainly existing unsteamed (CRP) and steamed (SCRP) products. In this study, a combination of electronic nose and GC-MS analysis showed that aged SCRP had a more intense aroma, which was attributed to the significant reduction or disappearance of components representing refreshing aroma, such as β-Myrcene and d-Limonene, while some components with thick odors like Valencene were newly formed. For the 'dryness'-like effect, the weaker effect of SCRP relative to CRP was initially confirmed in rats, as characterized by water intake, submandibular gland index, and hemorheology, consistenting with the expression trend of aquaporin (AQP) 2, 3 and 5 mRNA. Molecular docking further revealed that the key differential components responsible for the different 'dryness'-like effects of SCR and SCRP by affecting AQPs were Narirutin, Rutin, Calceolarioside C, Hesperidin, Melitidin and Limonin. Taken together, our findings enhance the understanding of steaming processing-induced aroma and 'dryness'-like effect changes in 'Chenpi' tea and their impact on consumer experience, offering a novel perspective for optimizing 'Chenpi' tea products.