Coffee and Cocoa Research Journal (Apr 2015)
Development of cardamom herbal coffee beverages: a study of physicochemical characteristic and consumer perception towards sensory properties
Abstract
Herbal coffee is one of the coffee diversification products that has been well recognized in the market. Addition of herbs or spices in coffee, not only offer an enhanced flavor characteristic, but more importantly also offer the consumer to gain a health benefit. Cardamom (Amonum cardomum) is commonly recognized as a herb and a food spice to add flavor to dishes. This research was aimed to develop a herbal coffee containing the extract of cardamom and to study the characteristics of herbal coffee obtained physicochemically and by sensory analysis. Crystallized coffee and sugar mixture was blended with cardamom extracts 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% to obtain ready to drink cardamom herbal coffee. The mixtures and control (without addition of cardamom) were then subjected for consumer perception by testing it to 30 panelists based on hedonic sensory test. The three mixtures that were choosen were then analysed for its physicochemical characteristics such as its powder and brewing appearrance, insoluble solids, reducing sugar and caffein concentration. The result showed that the addition of 10%, 20%, and 30% cardamom extract had good preferences to consumer, which 10% of addition resulted the highest preferences. The hedonic sensorytest resulted the preferences of the afore mentioned herbal coffee on color, aroma, taste and flavor was 3.37; 3.14; 3.30; 3.27; and 3.37 (on scale 1 to 5), respectively, representing moderately like to like preferences.The physicochemical analysis showed that the mixture contained 0.17% of insoluble solid, 0.13% of reducing sugar and 0.45% caffeine which comply the Indonesia standard of SNI 4446:1998. This result showed that the cardamom herbal coffee is potential to be developed as one of coffee diversification products.
