Development of herbal juice from Centella asiatica: antioxidant property, nutritional value and shelf life of product

Centella asiatica, Bua Bog, has been widely used in Thailand for more than a hundred years as an important medicinal herb. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of blanching time of C. asiatica on antioxidant activity. Developed-pasteurized C. asiatica juice was also evaluated for sensory evaluation, nutrition values, and shelf life. Fresh leaves were blanched in hot water for 0, 1, and 2 minutes, before taking to make a juice and the filtrates were determined total extractable phenolic content (TPC), total extractable flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities. The juice was divided to add with sugar at 1.2, 2.5 and 5% as low sugar (LS), medium sugar (MS), and high sugar (HS). All treatments were evaluated for sensory quality. Selected samples were pasteurized at 85 +/- 1 degrees C for 15 seconds then microbial and sensory evaluation were conducted during storage at 8 degrees C and 25 degrees C. The results indicated that the juice obtaining from blanching time for 2 minutes showed the highest value of TPC and TFC, including antioxidant activity. The LS was selected to produce pasteurized juice product that could be stored at 8 degrees C for 10 days. Therefore, C. asiatica can be pasteurized as juice and used as functional drink.

Automated summary

Centella asiatica, also known as Bua Bog, has been used as an important medicinal herb in Thailand for over a hundred years. This study aimed to investigate the effect of blanching time on the antioxidant activity of C. asiatica. Furthermore, the sensory evaluation, nutritional value, and shelf life of developed-pasteurized C. asiatica juice were also assessed. The results showed that blanching the leaves for 2 minutes resulted in the highest total extractable phenolic content (TPC), total extractable flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity. Additionally, the low sugar (LS) level was chosen for pasteurization and the juice could be stored at 8 degrees C for 10 days. Therefore, C. asiatica can be utilized as a pasteurized juice and consumed as a functional drink.