Phytochemical Analysis and Functional Properties of Lemon Grass Tea Supplemented with Ginger Powder

Herbal teas are used as therapeutic vehicles in many forms of traditional medicine and are popular global beverage. The purpose of this study was to assess the qualitative and quantitative phytochemical composition, functional properties and sensorial attributes of different formulations of lemon grass teas supplemented with ginger powder as supporting and activating herbs using standard analytical methods of Association of Official Analytical Chemist. Data was analyzed using one way analysis of variance and results expressed as mean ±standard deviation of triplicate determinations. The qualitative phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, saponins and quinones. The quantitative determination of these phytoconstituents revealed that the alkaloid content ranged from (0.27-0.28mg/g), tannins (0.04-0.05 mg/g), saponins (0.17-0.18mg/g), flavonoids (0.28-0.30g/cm3) and phenol (0.47-0.49g/cm3). The results obtained for functional properties revealed that pH ranged from (6.26-6.30), reconstitution index (6.00-6.40 g/cm3), swelling index (2.3-3.1g/cm3), wettability (35.00-49.00 sec.), bulk density (0.27-0.31 g/cm3) and water absorption capacity (72.26-78.35). Mean scores of sensory evaluations for taste ranged from: (6.0-7.0), colour (6.0-7.0), flavour (7.0-8.3), consistency (5.0-6.0) and overall acceptance (7.0-8.0).in conclusion, based on the results of this study, lemon grass teas supplemented with ginger powder are good reservoir of phytoconstituents with potential nutritional health benefits.