Effect of Sodium Ion Concentration on the Taste Quality of Green Tea Liquor and Analysis of the Underlying Causes
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Abstract:
Sodium ion (Na+) is an important metal ion in drinking water. In order to understand the effect of Na+ on the taste quality of green tea liquor, different mass concentrations (0~200 mg/L) of Na+ were added to common green tea liquor and the taste quality and underlying causes were investigated. The results showed that the addition of exogenous Na+ (sodium chloride) could influence the intensities of bitter taste, astringent taste, and mellow taste to some extent. An appropriate Na+ concentration (20 mg/L) could effectively reduce the intensities of bitter taste and astringent taste and increase the intensity of mellow taste, thus improving the overall taste quality of green tea liquor. The analysis showed that the addition of Na+ had no significant effects on the concentration of taste components in green tea liquor, but affected the overall taste quality by changing the main taste quality components, including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), caffeine, and theanine, and the taste characteristics of their mixture. The different effects of sodium salts with different anions on the taste of green tea liquor were also analyzed in this study, and the results showed that sodium chloride and sodium sulfate could better improve the taste of green tea liquor than the other sodium salts. The results of this study will provide a theoretical basis for improving the taste quality of green tea beverages.
