Possibility of Herbal Tea Production from Corn Silk (Zea mays)

Abstract

Corn silk is usually discarded as waste. It has a great medicinal importance due to the presence of valuable bioactive phytochemical compounds. It’s believed to be nontoxic and safe for human. Among various parts of corn, the corn silk is a rich source of antioxidant components and possesses strong antioxidant potential. It could be utilized as herbal tea like a healthy beverage. Objective of this study focused on the effect of blanching temperature and time; vacuum drying temperature and pressure to anthocyanin (mg/L), flavonoid (µg RE/g) and overall acceptance (sensory score) of the dried corn silk tea. Results showed that corn silk should be blanched in hot water 95^oC at 10 seconds in the present of CaCl₂ 1.5% and then being dried by vacuum dryer at 45^oC, -0.8 bar for 4 hours to get the final moisture content 8% available for preservation. It’s considered as a suitable raw material for production of functional food.

Keywords: Corn silk, Blanching, Vacuum drying, Herbal tea, Anthocyanin, Flavonoid.