Functional antioxidative and sensory characteristics of ready-to-drink (RTD) blue wedang uwuh, a traditional beverage from Indonesia

Abstract

A novel ready-to-drink (RTD) blue wedang uwuh, a traditional Indonesian beverage with potential antioxidant benefits, was developed using dried butterfly pea flower as a replacement for sappan wood, along with various dried spices, including ginger, cinnamon bark, lemongrass, cardamom, clove flower bud, star anise, fenugreek, black cumin seeds, black pepper, chia seeds, bay leaf, clove leaf, nutmeg leaf, cinnamon leaf in varying proportions. Three formulations (F1, F2, and F3) were developed by referring to the ingredient composition of commercial dried wedang uwuh (simplisia) available on e-commerce platforms. The RTD beverages were analyzed for their physical, functional-antioxidative, and sensory characteristics. The total dissolved solids ranged from 9.40 to 12.50°Brix, with a pH of 5.87–6.83, categorizing it as a low-acid beverage. The anthocyanin content derived from butterfly pea flowers ranged from 0.52 to 0.54 mg DE/100 mL, resulting in purplish-blue, blue, and greenish-blue hues. Sensory evaluation using hedonic rating and ranking tests indicated that F1 was the most preferred formulation, although it exhibited lower total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity (15.90 mg GAE/100 mL and 15.78 mg TE/100 mL, respectively) compared to the other formulations. Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) analysis revealed that F1 was associated with a light mouthfeel, sweet aftertaste, floral aroma, spice aroma, purple color attributes; F2 with floral taste, sweet aroma, sweet taste, blue color; and F3 with warm sensation, spice taste, bitter taste, as confirmed by correspondence analysis (CA). These findings suggest that RTD blue wedang uwuh has the potential for further product development to align with consumer preferences.