Multi-omics insights into floral–fruity aroma formation during Pu’er tea fermentation inoculated with a synthetic fungal communityDownload PDF Download PDF ArticleOpen accessPublished: 22 June 2026Xuehang Yan1,2,Zhiguo Shan1,Yuanyan Zhao3,Wendie Wu4,Zhong Tao1,Cailing Yang1,Yuanyao Wang1,Yu Zhang1,Yuefei Wang5 &…Chunhua Zhang1 npj Science of Food (2026) Cite this article We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.SubjectsBiotechnologyMicrobiologyPlant sciencesAbstractPu’er tea fermentation relies on complex microbial activities. This study explored aroma formation in ripe Pu’er tea inoculated with a synthetic fungal consortium using a multi-omics approach across six sampling stages. Sensory evaluation, physicochemical analysis, volatile profiling (HS-SPME-GC×GC-TOFMS), non-volatile metabolomics (UHPLC-Q-Exactive/MS), and metagenomic sequencing were integrated. Inoculation was associated with a distinct floral–fruity aroma. Combined ROAV and VIP analyses identified four volatile compounds, namely phenylethyl alcohol, trans-β-ionone, geraniol, and 1-octen-3-ol, as potentially important aroma-active contributors. Among them, phenylethyl alcohol, trans-β-ionone, and geraniol might play a major role in the floral–fruity character, and their accumulation appeared associated with tea moisture content. Nonanal exhibited a high ROAV but a low VIP value. Non-targeted metabolomics revealed 154 significantly altered metabolites, 38 of which were associated with these volatile compounds. Metagenomic analysis indicated substantial shifts in microbial community structure and function, correlated with physicochemical parameters and volatile profiles. Random forest modeling identified Sphingomonas, Rothia, and Bacteroides as potentially involved in aroma formation. These findings provide insights into the metabolic and microbial dynamics underlying floral–fruity aroma development, offering a scientific basis for tailored starter culture design.AcknowledgementsThis research was supported by the National natural science foundation of China (32360771), Yunnan provincial science and technology department science and technology project (202101BA070001-239), Yunnan provincial university center for Pu’er tea processing, key scientific research project of Pu’er university (2020XJGH08), Pu’er tea science and technology research innovation team (CXTD020), Pu’er university outstanding innovation team (2023PEXYCXTD001), Yunnan provincial education department project (2024J1099).Author informationAuthors and AffiliationsSchool of Tea & Coffee, Pu’er University, Pu’er, ChinaXuehang Yan, Zhiguo Shan, Zhong Tao, Cailing Yang, Yuanyao Wang, Yu Zhang & Chunhua ZhangState Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, ChinaXuehang YanAgricultural Science Research Institute of Puer City, Puer, ChinaYuanyan ZhaoCollege of Agriculture, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, ChinaWendie WuInstitute of Tea Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, ChinaYuefei WangAuthorsXuehang YanView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarZhiguo ShanView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarYuanyan ZhaoView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarWendie WuView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarZhong TaoView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCailing YangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarYuanyao WangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarYu ZhangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarYuefei WangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarChunhua ZhangView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorsCorrespondence to Zhiguo Shan or Chunhua Zhang.Ethics declarationsCompeting interestsThe authors declare no competing interests.Additional informationPublisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Supplementary informationSupplementary information (download PDF )Rights and permissionsOpen Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.Reprints and permissionsAbout this articleDownload PDF