TITLE:
A Comparison of Selected Phytochemical and Antioxidant Potential of Two Tea Beverages
AUTHORS:
Shantrell Willis, Martha Verghese, Meijah McCollum, Kabreshia Cheatom, Zaquavis Willis, Kevon Seay, Rajitha Sunkara, Lloyd Walker
KEYWORDS:
Antioxidant, Functional Food, Beverage, Herbal Tea, Sensory
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.8 No.11,
November
30,
2017
ABSTRACT: Herbal teas have been used as medicinal aids for centuries to treat a myriad of
illnesses and have also been suggested to function in chemoprevention. Having
numerous phytochemicals, the purported health benefits of herbal teas
may be due to their antioxidant potential. Herbal tea blends infused with
spices are increasing in popularity in U.S., and preliminary studies suggest the
synergistic effects of combining herbal teas and spices. Some teas that are increasing
in popularity include raspberry leaf, strawberry leaf, and hibiscus.
The objectives of this study were to determine the antioxidant capacity of tea
beverages (herbal (HT) (functional yogurt-based beverage-new product) and
Chai (CT) (store bought) and to determine consumer preferences of tea beverages
(HT and CT). Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content
(TFC), free radical scavenging activity by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl
(DPPH), trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and ferric reducing
antioxidant power (FRAP) were evaluated in methanolic and aqueous beverage
extracts. A functional yogurt-based beverage (HT) was developed and
sensory analysis was also conducted using a 5-point hedonic scale comparing
consumer preference of HT or CT beverages. The highest phenolic content
was observed in CT aqueous extracts (AQ) (500 mg GAE/g), all other extracts
had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower phenolic content. CTAQ had significantly
(P ≤ 0.05) higher flavonoid content compared to all other extracts (1.7 mg
CAE/g). The highest DPPH radical scavenging activity was observed in HT
methanolic extracts (ME) (44.48% inhibition). The lowest DPPH radical scavenging
was observed in HTAQ (21.88% inhibition). Approximately 61% of
sensory panelists gave the yogurt-based developed product a rank of 4 or
greater (on a 5-point hedonic scale) with 41% of panelists preferring the HT
beverage over CT beverage. The results of this study suggest that a combination
of herbal teas and spices may benefit consumers by improving their antioxidant
status and may have potential as a functional-beverage.