A feasibility study on organic lotus pollen tea as consumer product

Abstract

Lotus, all parts of it, is well known for its medical benefi ts. A wide range of pharmacological effects from different parts of this plant has been reported. According to Department of Medical Science (2004), the pollen protects against DNA mutation, promotes enzyme activity, destroys toxic substances, mildly decreases blood sugar, and nurtures the heart. The brownish yellow fi lament of the pollen has various therapeutic benefi ts to the heart, spleen, and liver. Hence, numerous traditional medicines have lotus pollen as an essential ingredient in their formularies. The pollen also contains several flavonoids such as quercetin, luteolin, isoquercitrin, and luteolin-glucoside. Flavoniods are found in edible plants (Miean and Mohamed, 2001). These substances are reported to benefi t health (Tokuşoğlu et al., 2003). Nowadays, lotus pollens are increasingly being used as natural health supplements. They possess antioxidant properties when brewed in hot water. Total polyphenol Lotus pollen tea, in particular, contains potent antioxidants. The fi rst step of this study was the screening for 3 desired qualities of 4 varieties of lotus (Nelumbonucifera Gaertn): Sattabongkutt, Buntharik, Sattabutt, and Patum. The 3 desired qualities were as follows: High pollen yield; potent antioxidant activity; and favorable aroma, fl avor, and color to a panel of testers. The results of the screening were the following: one, the pollen productions of a fl ower of each of the 4 varieties stated above were 1.28, 3.11, 0.43, and 1.83 gm, respectively; two, Buntharik had the highest antioxidant capacity at a trolox equivalent of 499.48 μg/ml or 59.94 mg/serving and at a total polyphenol equivalent of gallic acid of 63.26 μg/ml or 7.59 mg/serving; and three, the highest-rated variety in a hedonic test of overall preference was Buntharik. Thus, the Buntharik tea was chosen for the consumer acceptance studies conducted with 90 tea testers with equal number of males and females. The fi nding was found that males preferred this tea over females; panelists over 30 years old gave the highest score on overall preference; their level of acceptance was fairly acceptable, at 50%, but their purchase intention was lower, at 27.78%.

TÌNH HÌNH SẢN XUẤT VÀ CHẾ BIẾN CÁC LOẠI TRÀ SEN (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) Ở THỪA THIÊN HUẾ

“…Ngoài các loại trà truyền thống, trong một vài năm gần đây, các bộ phận của cây sen cũng được khai thác để chế biến thành các loại trà khác nhau như trà hoa sen, trà củ sen và trà lá sen [4]. Hầu hết các bộ phận của cây sen đều có tác dụng dược lý [5] và có thể chế biến thành trà [6].…”

“…Có thể xem trà sen như vị thuốc an thần tự nhiên [7,8]. Trà sen đáp ứng nhu cầu thực phẩm lành mạnh và hiện đang có nhu cầu tiêu thụ cao ở châu Âu, Nhật Bản và Hoa Kỳ [5]. Mọi lứa tuổi đều có thể uống trà sen.…”