Development and Quality Evaluation of RTS (Ready to Serve) Beverages Made from Traditional Indian Medicinal Plants

Harsha Hirdyani

doi:10.4172/2155-9600.s13-004

Abstract

Kinnow juice, Basil extract, ginger and sugar syrup were optimized and blended to form a RTS beverage which was pasteurized at 90°C for 25 sec cooled and stored at refrigerated temperature 5°C for 20 days. Physic-chemical and sensory analysis was done. Marginal changes in pH, total soluble solids, acidity, vitamin C and antioxidant content were observed. The TSS increased during the storage period and was reported to be increased by 2.5°Brix. Addition of basil extract and ginger to know juice greatly increased the antioxidant potential of the juice and also Vitamin C. Vitamin C, pH and subsequently acidity decreased as the storage time increased. Ascorbic acid content was reported to decrease by 10-14 mg/100 gm in all the RTS (Ready to Serve) beverages. The antioxidant potential gradually decreased during the storage period from 54.2 in 10% to 60.1 in 25% RTS. The mean overall acceptability scores of more than 8 for beverage samples up to 20% basil extract incorporation indicated the commercial scope for manufacturing good and nutritious RTS beverage, which will also be helpful in providing good antioxidant and nutraceuticals potential to the consumer. Heat pasteurisation (90°C for 25 sec) and basil and ginger extract were more effective for inactivating the microbial flora. However the shelf life of the RTS was established within 10 days, after this the acceptability decreased. The product is recommended children, youth and elderly persons to be used within 10 days.

Highlights

Medicinal plants are being used from the ancient times as the source of medicine and healing properties
Titratable acidity: There was a significant decrease in titratable acidity content during storage (Table 3), this was due to the decreasing amount of Kinnow juice in the respective blends
Ascorbic acid: The ascorbic acid content of the beverages decreased during storage with the advancement of storage period, which was probably due to the fact that ascorbic acid being sensitive to oxygen, light and heat was oxidized in presence of oxygen by both enzymatic and non-enzymatic catalyst

Summary

Introduction

Medicinal plants are being used from the ancient times as the source of medicine and healing properties They have nutraceuticals potential which makes it effective for use in any infection and disease according to the traditional concept of Ayurveda. One small study showed it to reduce blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetics when combined with hypoglycemic drugs [2] It has shown beneficial for reducing the cholesterol levels and blood glucose levels [3], for radiation radiation poisoning [4] and cataracts [5] due to its high antioxidant content. It is very useful for respiratory disorders [6]. Ginger is used in Chinese and Japanese medicines for cholesterol and blood glucose lowering effects [8,9,10]

Methods

Results

Conclusion