The impact of immersion time in lime solution on antioxidant and antidiabetic properties and consumer evaluation of Sargassum hystrix seaweed tea

Sargassum hystrix is a brown seaweed that contains bioactive substances, such as antioxidant and antidiabetic compounds, and is used as a functional ingredient in the food industry. They are mostly found in Indonesian waters, growing along rocky shorelines. Since the beverages extracted from seaweed are found to be less preferred by consumers due to the fishy smell, efforts are needed to curtail this problem. Based on this condition, the lime solution immersion method is observed as a suitable approach to reduce the pungent smell. Therefore, this study aims to determine the effect of the immersion time of the lime solution on antioxidant and antidiabetic properties, as well as on consumers' preference for S. hystrix tea. In this research, the variation of seaweed immersion time at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 min, was used in a lime solution of pH 5 at 85°C. Multiple analyses were further carried out on the beverage, including moisture and total phenol content, hedonic teat, and antioxidant property, such as inhibitions of DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), FRAP (ferric reduction antioxidant power), and α-glucosidase. The results indicated that the immersion time had no effect (p > 0.05) on the water content, although it significantly affected total phenol levels, antioxidant, and antidiabetic activities, as well as the consumer preference for S. hystrix tea (p < 0.05). The best quality was obtained at 16 min, which indicated water and total phenol contents at 3.10 ± 0.33 and 76.81±0.23 mg GAE g-1, with DPPH, FRAP, and α-glucosidase inhibition activities at 53.86±1.27, 121.82±0.91 μM g-1, and 52.86±0.89, respectively. It also showed consumer evaluations for appearance, color, flavor, taste, and overall quality, at 4.39±0.91, 4.33±0.78, 4.08±1.23, 4.25±1.08, and 4.26+0.13, respectively. Furthermore, immersion time in lime solution improved the quality and consumer evaluation of S. hystrix tea. © 2021, BIOFLUX SRL. All rights reserved.