Phytochemical and antioxidant properties of herbal tea blends

The demand for functional tea is progressively increasing due to some prevailing health issues in human. Tea has been used extensively as a vehicle for prevention and restoration from ill health. This study investigated the feasibility of formulating herbal tea from lemongrass, independent leaf and sensitive leaf composite. The results showed that the pH of the tea ranged between 5.61 and 5.76, alkaloids (5.71 – 11.64mg/100g), flavonoids (22.20-28.37mg/100g), steroid (9.26-13.22 mg/100 g), glucosides (3.85-7.12mg/100g), and total phenolic (1213.10-1351.40 mg GAE/100g). The sensory property using 9-point hedonic rating showed taste as 6-6.33, aroma (6.16-6.60), and general acceptability of 6.00-6.96. Tea formulated with 40% independent leaf, 40% lemongrass, and 20% sensitive leaf proved to be the best mixture. The production steps outlined in this study is scalable, and it could be used both industrially and on a small scale for self-entrepreneurs.