Study on taste characteristics and microbial communities in Pingwu Fuzhuan brick tea and the correlation between microbiota composition and chemical metabolites

Pingwu Fuzhuan brick tea (PWT) is considered the “Sichuan western road” border-selling tea. The taste and quality of Fuzhuan brick tea (FBT) is greatly influenced by microorganisms. Considering the dearth of studies on the taste and microbial community of PWT, this study aimed to investigate the taste characteristics using electronic tongue system and microbial community structures using high-throughput sequencing, followed by comparison with FBT from other regions and determining the correlation between microbial communities and chemical compositions. The taste strengths of sweetness, bitterness, umami and astringency in PWT were all at lower level compared to other regions FBT. Regarding microbial diversity, the fungal communities in PWT were distinct from those of other regions FBT in terms of taxonomic composition and abundance. Unclassified_k_Fungi and Aspergillus were the most dominant fungal genera in PWT. Candidatus_Microthrix , norank_f_Saprospiraceae , and norank_c_C10-SB1A were dominant bacterial genera in PWT, only distinct from those in Hunan FBT (HNT). Principal component analysis results showed that fungal or bacterial community structures of PWT and other regions FBT were distinctly different. Correlation analysis revealed important links between the top 50 microbial populations and metabolites.