Development of Four Seasonal Beverage Flavoring Using Asian Culinary Herbs and Its Physicochemical Analysis and Consumer Acceptance

Abstract

Seasonal changes significantly affect consumer behavior, psychological responses, and physiological health, presenting unique challenges and acceptance for each season. Despite this connection, limited research directly correlates seasonal variations with consumer acceptance for food and beverages, which are often influenced by cultural and sensory associations. This research gap presents an opportunity to innovate functional season-specific beverages using Asian herbal ingredients, currently in high demand globally and known for their historical health benefits. Busy lifestyles and a reluctance to explore traditional remedies for season-specific illnesses make instant herbal powder beverages an ideal solution due to their convenience. This study explores different creative strategies to develop season-specific instant herbal powder drinks, emphasizing ingredient selection to match consumer flavor preferences across different seasons while ensuring health benefits tailored to seasonal needs and compliance to F&B regulating bodies. Methodologically, the research uses Ultrasonic-Assisted Solvent and Hot Water Bath Extraction for herbal plants and employs crystallization procedure to create powder beverages. 50 participants were recruited and a quantitative self-report approach was used to assess consumer acceptance of spring, summer, autumn and winter beverages using a 9-point hedonic scale. Results indicated significant differences in consumer acceptance for appearance, color and mouthfeel (p<0.05) of beverages due to seasonal variations, with the autumn beverage achieving the highest overall liking score (mean=6.98). Physicochemical and nutrient analysis revealed that seasonal beverages are high in antioxidant (IC50 6.29-8.64) and low in calories (<40kcal).