Molecular Plant Breeding 2025, Vol.16, No.5, 278-286 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/mpb 278 Feature Review Open Access Molecular Breeding Strategies for Aroma and Flavor Enhancement in Camellia sinensis Jianli Lu, Xiaocheng Wang Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: xiaocheng.wang@cuixi.org Molecular Plant Breeding, 2025, Vol.16, No.5 doi: 10.5376/mpb.2025.16.0028 Received: 25 Aug., 2025 Accepted: 27 Sep., 2025 Published: 05 Oct., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Lu and Wang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the creative commons attribution license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Lu J.L., and Wang X.C., 2025, Molecular breeding strategies for aroma and flavor enhancement in Camellia sinensis, Molecular Plant Breeding, 16(5): 278-286 (doi: 10.5376/mpb.2025.16.0028) Abstract This study summarizes the progress of tea plant aroma and flavor traits in molecular breeding, and reviews the application of techniques such as marker-assisted selection (MAS), quantitative trait locus (QTL) localization, genome-wide association study (GWAS), genomic selection (GS), and haplotype breeding in the analysis of complex quality traits and the cultivation of superior varieties The potential of multi-omics integration, gene editing and synthetic biology in improving aroma and flavor was discussed, and the prospects of artificial intelligence and big data in molecular design breeding were also prospected. This research aims to provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for the molecular breeding of high-quality tea trees, promoting the sustainable development of the tea industry. Keywords Tea (Camellia sinensis); Aroma and flavor traits; Multi-omics integration; Gene editing and synthetic biology; Molecular breeding 1 Introduction Tea is one of the most popular beverages in the world. Its aroma and flavor quality are the core factors influencing consumers’ preferences and market value (Yao et al., 2024). Aroma substances and flavor metabolites (such as tea polyphenols, amino acids, caffeine and terpene volatiles) not only determine the taste and aroma of tea, but are also closely related to health functions (Zhao et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2025). Different tea tree varieties and growing environments can cause significant differences in aroma and flavor components. High-quality tea often contains some specific aromatic compounds and flavor substances, such as (R) -linallinol. These components can directly enhance the market competitiveness of tea (Li et al., 2022b; Liu et al., 2025). Traditional breeding methods have achieved certain results in increasing the yield and stress resistance of tea trees, but their effects are limited when it comes to improving complex quality traits such as aroma and flavor. They have long cycles, low efficiency, and it is difficult to precisely target the key genes or metabolic pathways that regulate aroma and flavor (Zhao et al., 2022). The asexual reproduction and complex genetic background of tea plants also make the directional improvement of superior traits more difficult (Zhang et al., 2021; Chen et al., 2023). Therefore, more efficient and precise molecular breeding methods are needed to break through these limitations. This study analyzed the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms related to aroma and flavor, compared the advantages and challenges of different molecular breeding techniques such as genomic selection, genome-wide association analysis, and mutagenesis breeding in improving quality traits, and proposed the future development direction of molecular breeding for tea tree quality. This research aims to provide theoretical basis and technical reference for the quality improvement of tea trees, promoting the precise improvement and sustainable development of high-quality tea varieties. 2 Biochemical and Genetic Basis of Aroma and Flavor in Tea 2.1 Key volatile and non-volatile compounds contributing to tea aroma and flavor The aroma and flavor of tea are jointly determined by a variety of volatile and non-volatile compounds. The main volatile components include monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, aldehydes, ketones and heterocyclic compounds,
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