Asian J. Dairy & Food Res., 34 (1) 2015: 54-58
Print ISSN:0971-4456 / Online ISSN:0976-0563
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION CENTRE
www.arccjournals.com
Preparation and quality evaluation of lime based herbal blended RTS beverage
C. Thamilselvi1, T. Krishnakumar2*, S. Amutha
Home Science College and Research Institute,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Madurai-625 001, India.
Received: 01-07-2014
Accepted: 10-02-2015
DOI: 10.5958/0976-0563.2015.00011.1
ABSTRACT
Lime based RTS beverages were prepared using Tulsi and Arugampul herbal extract. Lime RTS beverage prepared from the
selected herbs were filled in glass bottles and stored at room temperature (27±3°C) for 150 days and evaluated physicochemically, organoleptically and microbiologically at an interval of 30 days. A marginal increase in TSS, pH, and total
sugars were observed in all beverages for 150 days of storage, whereas acidity and Vitamin C showed decreasing trend. The
increase in microbial load for 150 days of storage was negligible and safe for consumption. Sensory evaluation indicated
that all the beverages were highly acceptable throughout the storage period. Overall acceptability scores of 8.3, 8.2 and 8.0
were observed for control, Lime + Tulsi juice extract, and Lime + Arugampul juice extract respectively for 150 days of
storage.
Key words: Herbal extract, Lime, RTS, Shelf life, Tulsi.
INTRODUCTION
Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) belongs to the family
of Rutaceae and is grown almost in every home garden. Lime
juice is rich in vitamin C, responsible for a series of health
benefits. Lime juice reduces the body heat and increases the
appetite. Drinking lime juice with salt reduces the stomach
pain. It helps in digestion of foods. Fruit juices and fruit juice
beverages are becoming popular due to their pleasant flavour
and nutritional characteristics. Beverages are consumed by
people of all age group to quench the thirst as a social drink
and for good health and medicinal values. The medicinal value
of the fruit beverages can be enhanced by the incorporation of
herbal extracts. Fruits juice could be enriched by addition of
herbal extract for preparation of beverages which improves
taste, aroma, and nutrition and also contributes to medicinal
values. There is always a demand from the consumers all over
the world for new food products which are nutritious with
delicate flavour. Productions of Ready-To-Serve (RTS)
beverages have been increasingly gaining popularity throughout
the country due to their health and nutritional benefits, apart
from pleasant flavour and taste. Fruit based RTS beverages
are not only rich in essential minerals, vitamins and other
nutritive factors but also are delicious and have good appeal.
Herbal beverages in the form of RTS, squashes, appetizers,
health drinks are important from the nutritional point of view.
Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) is believed to have health
benefits due to their anthelmintic activity and polyphenols
(Gangrade et al., 2000). Juice or infusion of the tulsi leaves
used in the treatment of bronchitis, catarrh, digestive
complaints, arthritis, ringworms, hypertension, heart attack,
cancer, viral hepatitis and diabetes. The leaves and seeds of
tulsi are reported to have diuretic and laxative properties.
Arugampul (Cynodon dactylon) is one of the most commonly
occurring weed in India. It is a bitter plant having
antimutagenic, antilumuorigenic and antigenotoxic activity
and can be used as the best chemo preventive agent
(Annapurani and Bhagavathy, 2000). Moreover, owing to high
acidity, bitterness and astringency, utilization of these herbs
for preparation of various products become limited, despite
having high medicinal properties. Since the latest trend for
consumer demand is nutritious, health food, the Lime-Herbs
blended juice will be a good option for the consumer. By
keeping these points in mind, the study was focused to prepare
and study the storage stability of Lime RTS beverage blended
with these herbal extracts.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The present study was conducted at the department
of Food Science and Nutrition, Home Science College and
Research Institute (HSC&RI), TNAU, Coimbatore. Fresh
*Corresponding author’s e-mail: [email protected] and address: Department of Food and Agricultural Process
Engg, AEC&RI, TNAU, Coimbatore, India.
1
Post Harvest Technology Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India.
2
Department of Food and Agricultural Processing, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India.
Volume 34, Issue 1, 2015
lime fruits and herbs were procured from the local market,
Madurai. Raw materials such as sugar and citric acid were
purchased from the local market. Glass bottle of 200 ml
capacity was used for bottling juice.
Extraction of lime, tulsi and arugampul Juice: Fully
matured fresh lime fruits were used for extraction of juice.
The fruits were cleaned and cut into halves. Stainless steel
squeezer was used to squeeze the lime juice. For extraction
of tulsi juice, fresh tulsi leaves were washed properly, blended
in a laboratory blender and boiled in distilled water (1:5) for
two minutes. Then the extract was filtered through sterile
muslin cloth to obtain the juice. Similarly the same procedure
was followed for extracting the arugampul juice.
Preparation of RTS beverage: Schematic representation
of the preparation of herbal blended lime RTS beverages is
presented in Figure 1.
Lime based RTS beverage was prepared as per Fruit
Product Order (FPO) specifications of India. Sugar syrup
Extraction of Lime juice
Addition of herbal extracts (Tulsi and Arugampul)
Mixing with filtered 10-15°Brix sugar syrup
Heating at 80°C for 15 minutes
Bottling
Crown corking
Pasteurization at 90°C for 25 minutes
Cooling
Labelling
FIG 1: Flow chart for the preparation of herbal blended Lime
based RTS beverage
was prepared by adding the sugar (53 g), water (190 ml)
and citric acid (0.2 g) in a vessel and heated till the sugar
was dissolved completely. The main role of adding citric
acid in juice is to clarify and avoid crystallization of sugar
syrup. Lime juice and herbal extracts were added to the
filtered sugar syrup and heated at 80°C for 15 minutes. The
prepared RTS was poured immediately into the sterilized
RTS bottles of 200 ml capacity leaving a head space of 2.0
cm and the bottles were corked with the sterilized crown
corks. The bottled RTS was pasteurized at 90°C for 25
minutes and cooled to room temperature. RTS bottles were
labelled and stored at room temperature (27±3ºC) for
storage studies of 5 months. Treatments selected for the study
were
a. Lime RTS (control)
- L1
b. Lime RTS with tulsi extract at different levels (5, 10, 15
and 20 %)
- L2
c. Lime RTS with arugampul extract at different levels (5,
10, 15 and 20 %)
- L3
Based on the organoleptic evaluation for colour,
flavour, taste and overall acceptability, Lime RTS + 15 per
cent of tulsi and arugampul extract were found to be better.
Hence the combination of lime RTS + 15 per cent of tulsi
and arugampul were selected for the present study and the
storage stability was evaluated.
Storage studies: Lime based RTS beverages were subjected
to storage studies at room temperature for a period of five
months by drawing samples at one month interval to evaluate
changes in biochemical, microbiological and organoleptic
parameters.
Biochemical analysis: Physico-chemical test carried out were
total soluble solids (TSS), titrable acidity (as citric acid),
Vitamin C, pH and total sugars (Ranganna, 1995). The total
soluble solids were measured using an ERMA hand
refractometer.
Microbiological analysis: The bacterial count was estimated
using nutrient glucose agar medum. Similarly the fungi and
yeast count was determined using potato dextrose agar
medium and yeast extract agar medium respectively.
The bacterial count was estimated using nutrient
glucose agar medium. Similarly the fungi and yeast count
were determined using potato dextrose agar medium and yeast
extract agar medium respectively.
Sensory evaluation: Sensory evaluation of the Lime based
RTS was carried out by 20 panelists using a triangle test. The
panelists rated the sample for colour, flavour, taste and
acceptability using 9 point hedonic rating test method
(1=dislike very much, 9=like very much) as recommended
by (Ranganna, 1995).
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ASIAN JOURNAL OF DAIRY AND FOOD RESEARCH
Statistical analysis: Data were analyzed statistically by
ANOVA using SAS package to evaluate the significance at
p<0.05.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Lime based RTS beverage was prepared by blending
the lime juice with the selected herbal extract. The physicochemical constituents of the fresh lime juice and the lime
RTS beverage are given in Table 1.
TABLE 1: Physico-chemical constituents of the fresh Lime and
Lime based RTS beverage
Chemical Constituents
TSS (ÚÚBrix)
Acidity (%)
pH
Vitamin C (mg per 100ml)
Total sugars (%)
Lime juice
6.00
4.50
2.12
27.60
4.50
Lime based RTS
15.00
0.30
3.45
2.88
8.36
TSS: TSS of lime based RTS beverage had gradual increase
throughout the storage period of 150 days (Figure 2). The
initial value of TSS of the juice was 15°Brix. At the end of
storage, TSS value increased into 15.90, 15.70 and
15.90°Brix for L1, L2 and L3 treatment respectively. The
increase in TSS could be due to the degradation of complex
carbohydrate into simple sugars during storage (Mehta and
Bajaj, 1983). Similar TSS trend was observed by Deka et
al., (2004); Chaurasiya et al., (2007). TSS of Lime based
RTS showed significant difference in all treatments by
statistical analysis.
FIG 3: Effect of treatments on Titrable acidity (%) of Lime RTS
beverage during storage
were observed in kinnow RTS beverage by Ranote et al.,
(1992).
pH: Lime based RTS beverages had an initial pH of 3.45 in
control (L1), 3.52 in tulsi extract incorporated (L2) and 3.50
in arugampul incorporated (L3) beverages (Figure 4). During
storage, pH of the RTS beverage was increased. The change
in pH showed significant beneficial effect in all the three
samples. The reason for increase in pH was due to the decrease
of the RTS acidity. The highest pH value of 3.57 was observed
for treatment L2. In general, increase in pH leads to decrease
in shelf life, whereas in the present study, high antimicrobial
properties of tulsi added with Lime Juice showed to improve
the shelf life of RTS. Statistical analysis of the data indicated
the pH of the Lime based nutraceutical RTS added with aulsi
extract and Arugampul extract had high significant difference
when compared to control sample. Similarly Saradhadevi et
al. (2004) have studied about the changes in pH of whey
based fruit beverage.
FIG 2: Effect of treatments on TSS (°Brix) of Lime RTS
beverage during storage
Acidity: Lime based RTS beverage had an initial acidity of
0.307, 0.328 and 0.320 per cent in control (L1), tulsi extract
incorporated (L2) and arugampul extract incorporated (L3)
samples respectively. During the storage, acidity of the
beverage was found to be decreased into 0.268 % for L1,
0.275 % for L2 and 0.275 % for L3 respectively (Figure 3).
The loss of acidity might be attributed to the chemical
interaction between the organic constituents of juice induced
by temperature and the action of enzymes. Similar results
FIG 4: Effect of treatments on pH (%) of Lime RTS beverage
during storage
Volume 34, Issue 1, 2015
Vitamin C: Freshly prepared RTS contained vitamin C
content of 2.88 mg per 100 ml for control (L1), 3.12 mg per
100 ml for lime RTS added with tulsi extract (L2) and 3.12
mg per 100 ml for lime RTS added with Arugampul extract
(L3) beverages respectively. At the end of 150 days of storage
period it was found to be decreased to 0.72 (L1), 1.01 (L2)
and 0.88 (L3) mg per 100 ml respectively (Figure 5). This
result was in accordance with the findings of Tripathi et al.,
(1992), Inyang and Abah (1997), Krishnaveni et al., (2001),
Singh et al., (2005).
FIG 6: Effect of treatments on Total sugars (%) of Lime RTS
beverage during storage
This might be due to the anti-microbial properties of tulsi
and arugampul. The increase in microbial load for 150 days
of storage was negligible and safe for consumption. Similar
results were reported by Krishnaveni et al., (2001),
Saravanakumar and Manimegalai (2002), Deka et al., (2004).
Sensory evaluation: All the lime based RTS beverages were
found to be highly acceptable in taste throughout the storage
period. At the 0th day of storage, the overall acceptability of
FIG 5: Effect of treatments on Vitamin C (mg per 100 ml) of
Lime RTS beverage during storage
Total sugars: Total sugars increased with increase in storage
periods (p<0.01). This might be due to the action of
microorganism present in the juice. Total sugars increase was
high in control (18.7°Brix) followed by treatment L3 for 150
days of storage (Figure 6). Interaction between the different
treatments was found to be significant. A similar trend was
observed by Kotecha and Kadam (2003), Kannan and
Banumathi (2005).
Microbiological population: Bacterial, yeast and fungi
populations of the lime RTS beverage increased during
storage. The increase of microbial population was
comparatively less in treatment L­­2 followed by L­­3 and L1.
FIG 7: The overall sensory scores of different treatments of
Lime RTS beverages on 150th day of storage
TABLE 2: Microbial population of Lime based RTS beverage during storage
Storage
Lime based RTS
L­­1
life
(Days)
0
30
60
90
120
150
L­­2
Bacteria
(105 CFU
per ml)
Yeast
(104 CFU
per ml)
Fungi
(103 CFU
per ml)
Bacteria
(105 CFU
per ml)
Yeast
(104 CFU
per ml)
BDL
1.00
1.66
2.33
2.66
3.00
BDL
1.33
2.33
3.00
3.33
3.66
BDL
BDL
1.00
1.33
1.66
2.00
BDL
BDL
0.66
1.66
2.00
2.33
BDL
BDL
0.66
1.66
2.00
2.33
*BDL – Below Detectable Level
L­­3
Fungi
Bacteria
(103 CFU (105 CFU
per ml)
per ml)
BDL
BDL
0.33
0.66
1.00
1.66
BDL
1.00
1.33
2.33
2.66
3.00
Yeast
(104 CFU
per ml)
Fungi
(103 CFU
per ml)
BDL
1.00
1.33
2.33
2.66
3.00
BDL
BDL
0.66
1.00
1.33
2.00
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ASIAN JOURNAL OF DAIRY AND FOOD RESEARCH
L­­1, L­­2 and L­­3 treatments were 9.0, 8.9 and 8.8. At the end
of storage period (150 days), the sensory qualities of different
treatments of lime RTS beverage are presented in Figure 7.
There were no significant differences observed in nutritional
and sensory qualities of the RTS stored till 120th of storage.
After 120 days of storage period a remarkable reduction was
noted in all the three samples.
CONCLUSIONS
The present study revealed that palatable and
nutritive beverages can be prepared by blending the
selected herbal extracts. Lime beverage blended with tulsi
and arugampul extract yielded eye appealing products and
received good scores throughout the storage period. The
lime RTS beverage prepared with tulsi and arugampul
extract had a good shelf life without the addition of
artificial preservatives and acid. Blending of lime juice
with herbal extract could be a better option to improve the
medicinal and nutritive properties of RTS beverage. The
study demonstrated that lime based ready-to-serve
beverages are having high potential for commercialization
and marketability due to rich in medicinal values and
nominal cost.
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