Comprehensive characterization of volatile compounds in Iranian black teas using chemometric analysis of GC-MS fingerprints.

Black tea, a widely popular non-alcoholic beverage, is renowned for its unique aroma and has attracted significant attention due to its complex composition. However, the chemical profile of Iranian tea remains largely unexplored. In this research, black tea samples from key tea cultivation regions in four geographical areas in northern Iran were firstly analyzed using headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) to separate, identify, and quantify their volatile organic compounds.