Total polyphenol content and perceived astringency of Yerba mate Ilex paraguariensis infusions

TAMASI, O.P.; FILIP, R.; FERRARO, G.; CALVIÑO, A.M

JOURNAL OF SENSORY STUDIES

Blackwell Publishing

Año: 2007 vol. 22 p. 653 - 664

0887-8250

ABSTRACTThe relation of total polyphenol content and dynamical astringency wasinvestigated on infusions of yerba mate (YM) (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hilaire),a mild stimulant beverage habitually consumed in South America. YM is aheterogeneous mixture of leaves and small sticks giving place to the types withsticks (YM-S) and without sticks (YM-L) according to the composition. Phytochemicaland sensory analysis on three brands of each YM type wereperformed in order to know if there are differences between types and amongbrands of the same type.Total polyphenol content, determined by spectrophotometry in six YMinfusions at 5% w/v, showed that chlorogenic acid levels were higher for twobrands of the YM-L type. Time–intensity (TI) curves revealed that infusionsprepared with YM-S lowered their maximal perceived astringency. Neither thetype nor the brand of YM assessed affected temporal parameters of astringencyTI curves.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSDynamic sensory analysis showed its effectiveness to reflect differencesin astringent perception of infusions of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis St.Hilaire); the presence of sticks in this commodity lowered maximum intensityof astringency. No significant differences were found between these infusionsfor the remaining time–intensity parameters evaluated.