Study on the characteristic flavor of pine needle tea

Objective: To analyze the characteristic flavor in pine needle tea.Methods: The characteristic flavor of the fresh pine needles and pine needle tea were analyzed and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy ( GC-MS) combined with Kovats retention indices ( KI) .Results: Total 138 components in the pine needle tea were detected by GC-MS and 19 main volatile compounds were identified by MS combined with KI.The highest content of all identified compounds was α-terpinene ( 26.7%) .Total 93 components in the fresh pine needle were detected by GC-MS and 7 main volatile compounds were identified by MS combined with KI.The major components in the volatile oil were α-pinene ( 18.9%) ; β-pinene ( 22.6%) ; α-Phellandrene ( 29.7%) .Conclusion: Comparing the result of the test, the characteristic flavor in the pine needle tea and pine essential oils are quite different.