Development of Antioxidant Rich Herbal Tea Bags

The present study entitled “Development of antioxidant rich herbal tea bags” was conducted with the objective to develop herbal tea bag using different ingredients, to assess the sensory accessibility and antioxidant content of developed tea bag. Herbal tea is a commonly consumed beverage brewed from the leaves, flowers, seeds, fruits, stems and roots of plants species rather than Camellia sinensis L., which has been widely used for health care and diseases prevention. The main benefit of tea bags is that they add convenience. It’s easy to pop a tea bag into a hot cup of water or to go mug and get on with the rest of the day. Antioxidant rich herbal tea bags were prepared by using four treatments T1 (Giloy 1.5gm, Ginger 0.5gm, Cloves 0.5gm, Cinnamon 0.5gm, Black pepper 0.5gm and Tulsi 0.5gm), T2 (Giloy 2.0gm, Ginger 0.5gm, Cloves 0.5gm, Cinnamon 0.5gm, Black pepper 0.5gm and Tulsi 0.5gm), T3 (Giloy 2.5gm, Ginger 0.5gm, Cloves 0.5gm, Cinnamon 0.5gm, Black pepper 0.5gm and Tulsi 0.5gm) and T4 (Giloy 3.0gm, Ginger 0.5gm, Cloves 0.5gm, Cinnamon 0.5gm, Black pepper 0.5gm and Tulsi 0.5gm). Organoleptic evaluation of the prepared product in relation to sensory attributes was carried out using the nine point hedonic scale score card. Antioxidants properties of developed tea bag were analyesd by DPPH Free Radical Scavenging method (Braca et al., 2001) and Total Phenol Content (TPC) by Folin-ciocalteu phenol method (Singleton and Rossi, 1999). All treatments were replicated three times and the data obtained during investigation were statistically analyzed by using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and critical difference (C.D.) techniques. On the basis of sensory acceptability it was found that T3 was scored highest in terms of colour and appearance, consistency, flavor and taste and overall acceptability. DPPH radical scavenging activity and total phenolic content of prepared antioxidant rich herbal tea bags for best treatment T3 was obtained 0.403 percent and 1.00mg/5g (per tea bag). The cost of the antioxidant rich herbal tea bags per 5g (per tea bag) of dry ingredients at the prevailing cost of the raw materials was highest in T1 (Rs. 6.52) followed by T2 (Rs. 6.27), T3 (Rs. 6.04) and T4 (Rs. 5.79). Giloy is recommended for preparation of different types of products to boost immunity and fight against free radicals and also enhances the efficacy of white blood cells and thus help to fight against infections and bacteria causing dangerous diseases. Keywords: Herbal tea, Antioxidant, Organoleptic evaluation, Cost evaluation