Metabolite Profiling and Identification of Sweet/Bitter Taste Compounds in the Growth of Cyclocarya Paliurus Leaves Using Multiplatform Metabolomics

<i>Cyclocarya paliurus</i> tea, also known as "sweet tea", an herbal tea with <i>Cyclocarya paliurus</i> leaves as raw material, is famous for its unique nutritional benefits and flavor. However, due to the unique "bittersweet" of <i>Cyclocarya paliurus</i> tea, it is still unable to fully satisfy consumers' high-quality taste experience and satisfaction. Therefore, this study aimed to explore metabolites in <i>Cyclocarya paliurus</i> leaves during their growth period, particularly composition and variation of sweet and bitter taste compounds, by combining multi-platform metabolomics analysis with an electronic tongue system and molecular docking simulation technology. The results indicated that there were significant differences in the contents of total phenols, flavonoids, polysaccharides, and saponins in <i>C. paliurus</i> leaves in different growing months. A total of 575 secondary metabolites were identified as potential active metabolites related to sweet/bitter taste using nontargeted metabolomics based on UHPLC-MS/MS analysis. Moreover, molecular docking technology was utilized to study interactions between the candidate metabolites and the sweet receptors T1R2/T1R3 and the bitter receptors T2R4/T2R14. Six key compounds with high sweetness and low bitterness were successfully identified by using computational simulation analysis, including cis-anethole, gluconic acid, beta-D-Sedoheptulose, asparagine, proline, and citrulline, which may serve as candidates for taste modification in <i>Cyclocarya paliurus</i> leaves. These findings provide a new perspective for understanding the sweet and bitter taste characteristics that contribute to the distinctive sensory quality of <i>Cyclocarya paliurus</i> leaves.