DEVELOPMENT OF FLAVORED HEALTHY HERBAL MULBERRY (MORUS SP.)TEA WITH LEMON GRASS

Abstract

The cultivation of mulberry (Morus sp.) is an age-old agricultural practice for production of silk cocoons through rearing of silkworms. The nutritional parameters of mulberry leaves and silk production are directly related to each other. The nutritional composition of mulberry leaves vary depending on the soil and other environmental factors of the locality. The biological functions of the tea have been analyzed and found to contain a wide range of biogenic amines. The mulberry is a good source of GABA (Gama aminobutyric acid) and DNJ (1-Deoxynojirimycin) which are very useful for human health. In the present study, the herbal material of mulberry leaves is successfully prepared by collecting, washing, cutting, dry sorting, packaging and storing the leaves. Drying is done by infrared
dryer or microwave drying. The dried mulberry leaves are treated as chopped, coarse powder and fine powder to make flavored herbal with addition of lemon grass. The flavored herbal tea of mulberry plus lemon grass leaves found very much similar to the green tea in appearance flavor and taste. Overall acceptability of the tea found fair and the flavored formulations of mulberry tea with lemon grass was rated better. In the present study many avenues are worked out to explore abundant opportunities for manufacture of flavored mulberry herbal tea with herbal flavor of lemon grass and its entrepreneurship.