Abstract: Tea aroma is a mixture of various volatile compounds at different concentrations, which is an important factor to evaluate tea quality. Most volatile compounds in tea have one or more stereocenters, and there are enantiomers with different aroma characteristics and thresholds. The enantiomer composition has an important influence on the formation of tea aroma. By reviewing recent studies on enantiomers of volatile compounds in tea and other plants as well as foods in China and abroad, this paper compares the enantiomers of different volatile components with aroma characteristics, and describes the state of the art of chiral volatile compounds and the analytical methods used to detect these compounds. Future research and development trends are also discussed. We hope this review can provide new insights into the chemical nature of tea aroma quality with respect to enantiomers.

Key words: tea, volatile components, enantiomer, chiral analysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry