Dominant fungi during pile-fermentation of Ya’an Tibetan dark tea: Comparative effects of representative strains on non-volatile constituents and taste characteristics

作者：Shengxiang Chen, Yuehua Chen, Mengxue Zhang, Mengyang Wei, Yuan Ma, Yao Zou, Liqiang Tan, Pingwu Li, Chen Liu · 发表于：Journal of Food Composition and Analysis · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1016/j.jfca.2026.109390 · 研究领域：Tea Polyphenols and Effects、Fermentation and Sensory Analysis、Tryptophan and brain disorders

Ya’an Tibetan dark tea is a representative Chinese dark tea whose quality is shaped by microbial pile-fermentation, yet the roles of core fungi remain unclear. Fungal ITS amplicon sequencing and untargeted metabolomics of six fermentation stages, combined with co-occurrence and metabolite association analyses, identified Thermomyces, Aspergillus, Debaryomyces, Rhizomucor and Mortierella as dominant genera. Representative strains were then used for mono-culture solid-state fermentation of raw dark tea, followed by physicochemical, metabolomic and QDA sensory analyses. Aspergillus markedly depleted esterified and non-esterified catechins, increased water extract and “thickness”, and produced a fuller, less bitter liquor, whereas Rhizomucor better preserved catechins and yielded a stronger, more astringent taste. Debaryomyces and Mortierella generated the highest theabrownin contents and darkest infusions. These results demonstrate distinct effects of the tested strains under standardised mono-culture conditions and identify candidate fungi for further validation in defined fungal consortia.