Low-Calorie Beverages Made from Medicinal Plants, Flowers and Fruits: Characteristics and Liking of a Population with Overweight and Obesity

Nowadays, there are few options of low or no added sugar drinks offering health benefits and oriented to consumers with a special health condition, such as overweight and obesity. The objective of this work was to develop and characterize a low-calorie antioxidant beverage made from aqueous extracts of medicinal plants (Melissa and lemon verbena), flowers (chamomile and bougainvillea), and fruits (guava, pineapple, strawberry, orange, and tangerine) as an alternative for people with overweight and obesity. Four formulations were developed from medicinal plants, flowers, and fruits. For this, a solid-liquid conventional extraction was carried out (at 90 C during 5 min) followed by a cold shock in ice. The developed beverages were characterized in a microbiological and physicochemical way according to official analysis methods. The sensory evaluation was carried out through liking and buying intention tests. The population under study was integrated by 400 adults divided into two groups (with and without overweight or obesity). The beverages developed were low-calorie (?40 kcal per portion), very low in sodium (<34 mg per portion), rich in antioxidants (>1.6 g GAE portion), and with an attractive color. The results indicate that these beverages could be an alternative to the consumption of common industrialized drinks conferring additional benefits for the prevention of chronic diseases.