Penicillium simplicissimum possessing high potential to develop decaffeinated Qingzhuan tea

The excessive intake of caffeine might adversely affect health, so decaffeinated food becomes a hot topic for investigation. Penicillium simplicissimum 4–17 was inoculated into sun-dried green tea for the pile fermentation (QZTWP) at a pilot scale to develop decaffeinated Qingzhuan tea (QZT). Through comparisons in chemical compositions, fungal community structure and sensory qualities, the results showed that after 21-d pile fermentation, most quality components in QZTWP were same or similar to those in naturally fermented QZT, except caffeine. Caffeine decreased nearly 50%, and some quality components were better in QZTWP than those in naturally fermented QZT. The addition of P . simplicissimum 4–17 couldn't change the dominant strains in the pile fermentation of QZT, but was conducive to increasing the amount of Saccharomyces , Candida , and Penicillium and to inhibiting the unfavorable strains. The results confirmed that P . simplicissimum 4–17 not only contributed high caffeine degradation ability of pilot fermentation of QZT, but also helped to improve the comprehensive quality of QZT. It means that there is a great potential of P . simplicissimum 4–17 for industrial production of decaffeinated QZT.