Abstract
Elimination of microorganisms from herbal products has been a major concern due to its implicated health risk to consumers. Drying of herbal materials has been employed for centuries to reduce the risk of contamination and spoilage. The present study adopted three drying approaches in an attempt to eliminate microorganisms from Lippia multiflora tea bag formulation. This study also evaluated the tea bags and optimized the extraction procedure. The L. multiflora leaves for tea bagging were air-dried and milled (A), oven-dried and milled (B), and microwaved (the milled air-dried leaves) (C). The moisture contents were determined at 105°C ± 2°C for 2 hours to constant weight. Phytochemical parameters such as phytochemical constituents, total water extractive, and pH were assessed. The microbial safety and quality of the L. multiflora tea bags were evaluated using the British Pharmacopoeia 2019 specifications. The uniformity of the mass of the formulated tea bags was also determined. Extraction from the Lippia tea bags was optimized. The results showed that using the approaches (A, B, and C) adopted for drying and processing, the moisture contents of the formulated tea bags were in the range of 9.75–10.71% w/w. All the formulated tea bags contained reducing sugars, phenolic compounds, polyuronides, flavonoids, anthracenosides, alkaloids, saponins, and phytosterols. The pH range of the formulations was 7.11–7.54, whereas the total water extractive values were in the range of 19.12–20.41% w/w. The one-way analysis of variance demonstrated no significant difference in the data obtained from the results from A, B, and C. The formulation from A was found to be unsafe for consumption due to unacceptable microbial contamination limits. Microbial load of the formulations from B and C were within the BP specifications. All the batches of the formulations passed the uniformity of mass test. An optimized extraction procedure was obtained when one tea bag was extracted in 250 mL of hot water within the specified time. L. multiflora leaves meant for tea bagging should be oven-dried or microwaved before tea bagging for safe consumption.
Highlights
West Africa is endowed with many stouts, woody and aromatic perennial shrubs, of which Lippia multiflora Moldenke is a typical example
L. multiflora is normally found in the forest savanna, subsavanna, and transitional areas of Ghana. e leaves of L. multiflora have been formulated into a herbal tea that is used because of its aromatic odor and therapeutic property of stress relief [2, 3]. e leaves of L. multiflora are normally used for the management of mild hypertension and as a diuretic [4, 5]
Fresh leaves of L. multiflora were harvested from the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR) farm at Mampong-Akuapem, Ghana (5°55′ 06.6′′ N, 0° 07′57′57 W) and authenticated by the Plant Development Department, CPMR. e plant specimen has been placed in its herbarium with the identification code CPMR 5073. e methods that were used for processing the materials before tea bagging have been detailed below
Summary
West Africa is endowed with many stouts, woody and aromatic perennial shrubs, of which Lippia multiflora Moldenke is a typical example. E determination of the shelf life of L. multiflora leaves (Lippia tea) indicated a period of 62.97 months as the shelf life in a study conducted by Kumadoh and colleagues when the product was stored at specified temperatures of 30°C ± 2°C/70% ± 5% RH (relative humidity) [7]. Results obtained from this study showed that the powder displayed microbial safety at the beginning of storage until at least 18 months of storage without risk of contamination for the consumer. It is important to eliminate microbial contaminants in the herbal tea of L. multiflora in order to ensure its safety and quality. E aim of this study is to develop a simple and practical method for the elimination of microbial contaminants from herbal tea without adversely affecting the phytochemical constituents and quality properties of the tea. An attempt has been made to do an optimization of the extraction process for the formulated tea bags
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