Influence of drying method and infusion time on purple basil leaves tea

In this study, purple basil leaves were dried in 3 different methods (oven, microwave, and shade drying) and then infused 5 different times in hot water at 90 oC. Analyses of total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, total monomeric anthocyanin content, and color parameters were performed on tea samples. When the analysis results were evaluated, the best results were determined in the tea samples prepared from the leaves dried in the oven and in the shade, at brewing times of 10 and 15 minutes. 45 minutes was the best infusion time for the tea sample prepared from microwave dried leaves. When the three different drying methods were compared, the shade drying method gave better results than the other drying methods. According to the highest values obtained from the analysis results, the effect of the functional compounds in the purple basil leaves on the tea was calculated. It was determined that the highest percentage of phenolic compounds in tea was found in the samples prepared by the shade drying method.