Investigating sensory characteristics and consumer preferences of functional beverages made from Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum Linne)

Abstract

Tulsi is widely known as a medicinal plant and possesses many health benefits. The pharmacological study regarding the compounds in tulsi has been widely studied, but the sensory characteristic and consumer acceptance of this plant has never been conducted previously. This study aims to investigate the sensory characteristics of functional beverages made from tulsi leaves and to determine which sensory attributes that able to promote consumers’ acceptance. Three samples of tulsi beverages were evaluated by the trained panels (n=14) using Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) while the acceptance test was assessed by 61 consumers. A total of 27 key attributes of tulsi beverages were generated during the QDA evaluation. All the samples have different sensory characteristics. The aroma and taste of ginger, citrus, lemongrass, basil, mint, honey, sweetness, and aftertaste of the hot sensation of ginger were positively associated with consumers’ liking. In contrast, bitter aroma, watery-like texture, astringent and astringent aftertaste were contribute to consumers’ disliking. This study could be used as a preliminary study for developing new functional beverage products from tulsi leaves by considering the sensory characteristic and key attributes for the liking of tulsi beverages.