Antioxidant Activity and Preferences Test of Agarwood Leaves Tea
(Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk) Based on Leaves Drying Methods
Ridwanti Batubara
1, 2
, T. Ismanelly Hanum
3,4
, Iwan Risnasari
1, 2
,
Herawaty Ginting
3
and Lusi Amelia Lubis
1
1
Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, 20155, North Sumatera, Indonesia
2
Natural Resources Technology Based Center, Mangrove Group and
Bio-Resources, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan.
3
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Sumatera Utara
Jl. Tridharma 5 Kampus USU Medan 20155
4
Nanomedicine Centre of Innovation, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan.
Keywords: drying methods, Agarwood tea, antioxidant, hedonic test
Abstract: Gaharu (Agarwood) leaf tea can be used as as raw materials brewed drinks. This study aims to known the
antioxidants activity and to test the consumer preference to agarwood leaf tea (Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk)
based on leaves drying method. The drying method of gaharu leaves was conducted by using three methods
(dried under direct sunlight, roasted and heated at 40
0
C in an oven ). Then, extract of the leaves in water was
tested for the antioxidant activity by DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method. The hedonic test of
agarwood leaf tea was performed to determine the consumer preference. The extraction of this leaf showed
antioxidants activities with IC
50
values accounted for 33,91 μg/ml with the oven drying at 40
0
C, 25,54
μg/ml with roasted, and 32,16 μg/ml under direct sunlight drying. The preference level based of
consumption based on hedonic test of leaves drying methods on 3-4 scale in moderately favorable.
Although the oven drying method was preferably, the roasted drying method had very strong antioxidant
activity despite of the oven drying method.
1 INTRODUCTION
The changes of community life as well as improper
diet and age increase leads to the formation of free
radicals in the body. The effort to prevent or reduce
the risk posed by free radical activity is to consume
foods or supplements that contain antioxidants.
Phenolic compounds, in particular, phenolic acids,
tannins and flavonoids are known to be potent
antioxidants and they are abundantly found in plant
termasuk pada daun
Agarwood leaves (Aquilaria malaccensis
Lamk.) are utilized as a brewed beverage (tea).
Phytochemical screening of simplisia and ethanolic
extract of agarwood leaves have the secondary
metabolites namely flavonoids, glycosides, tannins
and steroids/triterpenoids potential as antioxidants
(Surjanto, et.al 2015). The results of antioxidant
activity test that agarwood leaves have very strong
antioxidant activities, as well as the age and the
growth difference of agarwood leaves. So, as a
brewed drinking, agarwood leaves could be as an
alternative in replacing tea even though the leaves
are collected differently without separating them
based on ages or methods.
Generally, tea is consumed in to refresh the
body. These days, tea is collected from the tea plants
i.e. Camelia sinensis. Today, tea has a mass of
random variables from the leaves which are
delicious and has health benefits. One of them is the
leaves of gaharu tea as a variety of tea.
Previous studies linked to the safety of the
product have shown that no toxic symptoms after
test in mice (male and female), agarwood tea in all
doses showed that no effect on the behavior, weight,
organ weight and macroscopic observation of male
and female mice. The products of agarwood leaves
tea are safe to be consumed (Batubara, at al, 2016).
Agarwood leaf tea is feasible to be produced and
consumed. It requires to be considered more
Batubara, R., Hanum, T., Risnasari, I., Ginting, H. and Lubis, L.
Antioxidant Activity and Preferences Test of Agarwood Leaves Tea (Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk) Based on Leaves Drying Methods.
DOI: 10.5220/0008359101590163
In Proceedings of BROMO Conference (BROMO 2018), pages 159-163
ISBN: 978-989-758-347-6
Copyright
c
2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reser ved
159
particularly regarding to the processing of tea from
agarwood leaves before being consumed by people.
One phase of the processing is the operation of leaf
drying. This research objective to determine
antioxidant activity and preference test to consumers
in agarwood leaf tea (A. malaccensis Lamk) based
on leaves drying method.
2 METHODS
2.1 Materials
Samples agarwood leaves were gathered from the
gaharu trees in the Pekan Bahorok village, Langkat,
North Sumatera, Indonesia authenticated by The
Biology Department of Faculty of Mathematics and
Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan. The
other chemicals applied in this study were toluene,
ascorbic acid, methyl alcohol, distilled water and
they all were supplied by Bratachem corporation.
2.2 Preparation of Gaharu Leaves
This study used dry leaves which have not been
fermented. The drying methods used were common
methods applied by the society. They are heating at
40
o
C, roasting and drying directly under sunlight.
2.3 Determination of Water Content
The process of measuring the water content of
agarwood leaves was performed according to the
azeotroph distillation method (P.O.M Ditjen, 1995).
2.4 Hedonic Test
The Hedonic test is a test of the consumer's
preference for agarwood leaf tea. The test involved
three methods of drying which are heated 40
o
C,
roasted, and dried directly under sunligth. It is
performed to obtain what methods are the most
favorable given by the consumer.
2.5 Preparation of Extraction of Gaharu
Leaves in Water
The dried leaves were extracted by infundation
method using distilled water as the solvent (P.O.M
Ditjen, 1972).
2.6 Antioxidant Activity Test
The antioxidant activities extract water were tested
and compared between extraction solvents used
using DPPH free radical scavenging activity.
Ascorbic acid was used as positive control. The
measurement of absorbance was performed by UV-
Vis spectrophotometer at 516 nm wavelength.
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
3.1 Water Content
The determination of water content is performed to
provide a minimal boundary of water content that
can still be permitted in the dried agarwood leaves.
The determination of water content is also useful for
presuming the durability or resilience of samples in
storage with the result that relate to the quality of the
dried agarwood leaves.
The water content of agarwood leaves based on
three drying methods (direct sunlight, roasted, and
oven drying) is listed in Table 1. The water content
has fulfilled Indonesian National Standard (INS) of
tea. This result also fulfilled the POM standard, i.e.
the water content of the dried agarwood leaves does
not exceed 10 % (Ditjen POM, 1995).
Table 1. Water Content of Agarwood Leaves
Drying
Method
Drying Time
(Days)
Water Content
(%)
Direct
sunlight
7
4.00
Roasted
1
4.00
In oven
5
6.00
Hidayat (2004) moisture content affects the
quality of materials, the lower the moisture content,
the better the quality of the material. High water
content can trigger microbial growth, especially
fungi that can decay chemical content of the leaves.
In Table 1 also depicts the period of time needed
to dry the agarwood leaves. The drying operation is
affected by temperature and drying time (Huriawati,
2016). The stable temperature was performed in
dried oven method but it occupied a long time.
Direct sunlight drying is influenced by daily
temperature, usually fluctuate. While on the roasting
process the temperature depends on the heating
devices are employed.
BROMO 2018 - Bromo Conference, Symposium on Natural Products and Biodiversity
160
3.2 Preference (Hedonic) Test
The hedonic test (preference test) was conducted to
determine the opinion of the consumer to the color,
flavor, and aroma of agarwood leaf tea. Test results
are listed it in Table 2.
Table 2: Results of Preference Test Against Agarwood
Leaf Tea Based on Leaves Drying Method
Drying method
Aroma
Flavor
Col
or
In oven
3.833
3.900
3.700
Roasted
3.300
3.433
3.033
Direct sunlight
3.766
3.667
3.533
1= Dislike very much, 2= Dislike moderately, 3= Neither
like nor dislike, 4 = Like moderately, 5 = Like very much
Table 2 shows that the results of consumers
regarding to the samples in terms of aroma, flavor
and color are averagely in a scale > 3.00 (Neither
like nor dislike until like moderately). Based on
Table 2, it is known that the consumers prefer
agarwood leaf tea which is dried with oven due to
the drying temperature was constant so that the
leaves are evenly dry. While on drying in an oven
with 40
o
C, essential oil contained in it, has not been
vaporized. However, the volatile compounds
evaporated when being brewed, so that the aroma is
preferred.
The flavor is one of the most important
parameters that influence the consumer acceptability
of a drinking product. According to Saragih (2014),
the flavor produced is influenced by presence of the
chemical components. The taste becomes a very
decisive factor in the consumers’ final decision
when rejecting or accepting a beverage despite the
good color and aroma.
The most favored taste parameter chosen by
consumers was the agarwood leaf tea dried by oven.
According to Ningrum (2015), the preference for
consuming tea occurs because of the habit that has
been done since childhood throughout their family
culture. In this study, the tested tea is a new tea from
agarwood leaves not been consumed by the public
commonly.
Color is a physical attribute that can be used as a
measure to determine the taste, texture, nutritional
value and microbiological properties. Harahap
(2016) has reported that color can affect the
beverage interesting and this can be a hint whether
the beverages have good quality or not. Based on the
hedonic test, the most favored color parameter
chosen by the consumens was the tea treated in oven
drying. It was chosen because the thermal is
distributed evenly in the oven, and the same happens
to the color of simplicial that is more uniform in
greenish.
Drying under sunlight method is very dependent
on the sun's heat. The color after drying is usually
brown and the simplicial steeping is more
concentrated. Drying with the roasted method is very
dependent on the temperature of the stove, and the
stirring of the simplicia, so the dryness of the leaves
is also less uniform.
The aroma produced by agarwood tea leaves is
caused by the volatile oil contained in the leaves.
The aroma of tea is composed by volatile oil
(essential oil) which is originated from the treatment
in the plantations and it is partially developed during
the process of making tea (Winarno (1993), Saragih,
(2014). Based on the preference test, the most
favored aroma parameter selected by the panelists
was the leaves dried by the oven which is the same
to the color treated by the same method. Because the
leaves are relatively dried in the same condition, the
aroma was also evenly distributed when being
brewed.
Based on the results obtained from preference
test, it can be stated that the consumens accept the
existence of agarwood leaf tea as an alternative for
tea. It is because the results of the research shows
that the color, taste and aroma were moderately
favorable. The flavor becomes a crucial factor in the
consumer's final decision to reject or accept a
foodstuff, although the other rating parameter is
better, if the taste of food is not favored then the
product will be rejected.
The type, grade, and taste of tea steeping water
attributes the quality of the products, so that
customers prioritize in consuming tea. From this
research, it is projected that the agarwood leaves tea
become an alternative in replacing the tea, and to be
offered in market. Therefore, the color, taste and
aroma parameters are essentially important. The
level of consumer preferences based on the results of
three drying methods, were measured in 3-4 scale
within moderately favourable, and the most favoured
drying method was heated technique inside an oven.
In practise, the most important factors that can be
conducted quickly in determining the quality of the
tea is based on colours, aromas, and flavours.
3.3 Antioxidant Activity of Agarwood
Leaves Water Extract
The IC50 value is a number indicating the
concentration of test sample which gives DPPH
absorbance by 50% or, able to reduce DPPH
oxidation process by 50% (Andayani, at. Al, 2008)..
Antioxidant Activity and Preferences Test of Agarwood Leaves Tea (Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk) Based on Leaves Drying Methods
161
The capability of the test sample in trapping
DPPH as free radicals in methanol solution with
IC
50
values (the concentration of the test sample
which is capable of trapping free radicals by 50%)
was utilized as a parameter to determine the
antioxidant action of the test sample (Prakash,
2001). IC
50
values of agarwood leaf extracted water
based on three drying methods are listed in Table 3.
The antioxidant activity of the extracted of
agarwood leaves in all drying methods shows the
same values that are < 50 μg /ml. According to
Mardawati (2008), if IC
50
values < 50 μg /ml are
classified as a very strong category indicating there
are no differences among three drying methods.
Table 3. The IC
50
Value of Agarwood Leaf Water Extract
(μg /ml)
IC
50
value (μg /ml)
32.158
25.544
33.913
Strong or weak antioxidants are determined by
several factors, in which is the chemical composition
contained within the leaves. Geochemically
speaking, the chemical composition is also
influenced by the habitats of the plants (Firdiyani,
2015). The main compounds that cause strong
antioxidants are phenolic group compounds, such as
flavonoids. An Ethanolic extract of the agarwood
leaves have classes of secondary metabolites namely
flavonoids, tannins, and steroids/triterpenoids
potential as antioxidants.
The agarwood leaf tea has a very strong
antioxidant content compared to others. The highest
results antioxidant activity from ten steeping quality
types of Indonesian black tea is categorized as Type
Dust I, with IC50 values of 97.00 μg/ml. While for
the lowest antioxidant activity with IC
50
value
accounted for 178.56 μg/ml is categorized as Type
BTL quality (Sudaryat, at. al, 2015). These
antioxidants content is an important thing that must
be considered in processing the agarwood leaves tea.
Based on the three drying methods used on this
research, the antioxidants content is maintained very
well.
Antioxidants can trap free radicals in the body
resulted from the process metabolism, air pollution,
contamination of food, sunlight. Werdashari (2014)
explains that various plants commonly consumed in
Indonesia contain antioxidants. The research result
of agarwood leaves tea has high antioxidant content
so that if it is consumed, then it can be as the source
of antioxidant for human body.
4 CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, the use of agarwood leaves in
replacing tea leaves is considered acceptable. Based
on the research, the society accepts this leaves
because of the colour, flavor, and aroma are
considered the same. The most favourable tea leaves
is the one which has been dried in oven with
temperature of 40
o
C because the steeping water is
acceptable regarding the similarity to colour, flavor,
and aroma. While, the analysis of the IC
50
shows
that oven-dried method has the highest value among
three techniques, so the ability of trapping free
radicals is the best.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Acknowledgements are given to University of
Sumatera Utara for its funded based on the program
of Dana Riset Pengabdian Masyarakat USU Non
PNBP USU Tahun 2018 and the farmers located in
Langkat regency for their participation in aiding this
research.
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