New herbal bitter liqueur with high antioxidant activity and lower sugar content: innovative approach to liqueurs formulations

Abstract

Herbal liqueurs are spirits with numerous functional properties, due to the presence of bioactive extractable compounds deriving from herbs. The aim of this study was to obtain new herbal bitter liqueur (HBL) on the basis of twelve selected bitter and aromatic plants extracts, with an optimal sensory profile for consumer acceptance. Also, the determination of optimal sugar content in HBL was done. Furthermore, antioxidant (AO) capacity and total phenolic content (TPC) of HBL was evaluated and compared to similar commercial herbal spirits. Among five tested formulations, assessed by 9-point hedonic scale, HBL with the ratio of bitter and aromatic plants 1:4 was the most acceptable. Ideal concentration of sugar in HBL, determined using a just-about-right scale, was found to be 80.32 g/l of sucrose, which is approximately 20% less than the minimum stipulated by European Union Regulation and several times lower than in the majority of commercial liqueurs. Obtained result indicates the possibility of sugar reduction in liqueurs, and suggests the need to carry out sensory analysis before production of these high-calorie beverages. Radical scavenging ability against DPPH and ABTS radicals, as well as ferric reducing antioxidant power and TPC of HBL were convincingly superior in comparison to similar commercial herbal alcoholic beverages. High correlation coefficients between TPC and other assays applied strongly support the significant role of the polyphenols in the total AO capacity of the HBL and other tested commercial herbal spirits. Headspace GC/MS revealed that the most abundant terpenes were menthone (3.75%), eucalyptol (3.42%) and menthol (3.10%), whereas methanol was present in a small amount (4.97 mg/l).

Evaluation of novel green walnut liqueur as a source of antioxidants: Multi-method approach

“…GWL also exhibited at least two times more potent scavenging activity towards artificial radical species DPPH and FRAP than Underberg and several times than other analysed spirits (Table 1). The order of AO activity of commercial spirits (Underberg, Bitter 54, Bitter 55, Jagermeister and Gorki list) has been found the same as reported in our previous study (Petrović et al 2019). In addition to green walnut fruit, GWL contains additional herbs and spices, dark chocolate, honey and some fruits, forming the synergy of AOs, thus exhibiting strong AO activity.…”

Influence of elaboration process on chemical, biological, and sensory characteristics of European pennyroyal liqueurs

“…In a traditional way, most herbal liqueurs are produced with a mixture of herbs that enhance the flavor of the alcoholic base, providing different chemical and biological characteristics to the liqueur and reducing the possibility of presenting certain compounds in concentrations harmful to human health 15,16,46 . According to the results obtained in this work, and because the homemade liqueur production has a long tradition worldwide, high amounts of a single MAP used to flavor the alcoholic base should be restricted, particularly when maceration, percolation, or infusion techniques are used.…”

Quantitative Descriptive Analysis of Traditional Herbal and Coffee Liqueurs Made with Grape Marc Spirit (Orujo)

“…Both terms are associated with the presence of phenolic compounds in the liqueur that they were extracted from the coffee and the herbal plants during the maceration process in alcohol base (in this case Orujo) [ 50 ]. These bitter notes in some liqueurs are known, by their digestive effects, to stimulate the appetite or after a meal to aid food digestion [ 51 ].…”