Infusions of Herbal Blends as Promising Sources of Phenolic Compounds and Bioactive Properties

Abstract

Several plants have been used for medicinal applications and have been traditionally consumed as decoctions and infusions. Although some herbs are used alone as a beverage, they are often blended in mixtures to maximize their effects. Herein, the nutritional characterization of six infusions from herbal blends was evaluated using the official methods of analysis (AOAC international). A further characterization of the individual phenolic profile was also performed by HPLC-DAD/ESI-MSn, and finally bioactive potential was determined by evaluating the antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities of each blend. The wide variety of plants in each sample led to variability in the results for all analyzed parameters. However, blends containing 15% Laurus nobilis L. and 15% Juglan regia L. in their composition showed higher sugar content and energy contribution; higher concentration of phenolic compounds (phenolic acids and flavonoids); greater antioxidant, cytotoxic, and anti-inflammatory capacity; and also better antimicrobial effects against all the tested bacterial and fungal strains. Further studies will be necessary to evaluate the real synergistic effects that these two species show in the presence of other plants, and to evaluate their potential for application in various food, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical products as infusion preparations.

The Bright and Dark Sides of Herbal Infusions: Assessment of Antioxidant Capacity and Determination of Tropane Alkaloids

“…Furthermore, since herbal infusions are natural sources of bioactive compounds, they are used by food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries to meet consumers' demands for more natural products [9,10].…”

Evaluation of the acceptability of a filter infusion of germinated purple corn (Zea mays L), lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) and moringa (Moringa oleifera)

“…El presente proyecto de investigación se justifica desde una relevancia social, ya que se brindará el diseño de un producto con alto contenido en compuestos fenólicos (antioxidantes) proveniente del maíz morado, cedrón y moringa, dichos compuestos traen consigo, una diversid ad de b en eficio s nutricionales y de salud para las personas en general [8]. En ese sentido, se consideró los siguientes objetivos de estudio, como objetivo general se planteó, Elaborar y evaluar la aceptabilidad de una infusión filtrante de maíz morado (Zea mays L.) germinado, cedrón (Aloysia citrodora) y moring a (Moringa oleífera).…”