Abstract
Red fruits represent an important source of natural antioxidants possessing health-promoting properties. Infusions of red fruit teas are gaining interest and popularity among consumers. The physico-chemical characteristics and phytochemical screening of some red fruits tea infusions were analyzed in the present study using fast and accessible electrochemical and UV-Vis spectroscopic methods. As well, sensorial analysis was carried out through the 7-points hedonic scale method. Our research revealed that the quality of the infusions and the overall acceptance, respectively, are influenced by the brewing time and the proportion of red fruit tea and water used in their preparation. Following the results for the overall degree of satisfaction, the most preferred infusions by consumers were those obtained from Forest fruit tea and Carpathian tea using two bags, and 10 minutes of brewing time. The color intensity, the proportion of red, as well, the content of vitamin C and phytochemical profile of analyzed infusions are correlated with the degree of global satisfaction. The results obtained in the present work delivered valuable information about red fruits tea infusions based on their physico-chemical, phytochemical and sensorial characteristics.