Quality control of a brand of echinacea root herbal teas commercialized in Costa Rica using the RTCA 11.03.56:09
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54495/Rev.Cientifica.v33i1.489Keywords:
natural product, echinacea, tisane, quality control, Central American Technical RegulationAbstract
Echinacea herbal teas are mainly used as a treatment for the common cold. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out the corresponding quality control and ensure their quality and efficacy for consumers. The purposes of this research were to evaluate the physicochemical and microbiological
quality in three batches of echinacea root herbal tea belonging to a brand commercialized in Costa Rica through the tests stipulated in the Central American Technical Regulation 11.03.56:09 and to establish whether the
evaluated aspects were constant or not in the different batches. The carried out tests corresponded to labeling, organoleptic characteristics, foreign matter, minimum fill,} lead limit, arsenic limit, loss on drying, total ash, acid-insoluble ash, total aerobic microbial count, molds and
yeasts count, and specified microorganisms (Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp.). The results obtained showed that all batches were found to comply with the specifications of the physicochemical and microbiological tests, except for labeling (five of the 23 elements requested for primary and secondary packaging were not found), loss on drying (all
values were higher than 10.0%), and yeasts and moldscount (batch 3). Therefore, although they complied withmost of the requirements, attention must be paid to the elements to be corrected to ensure that the product is suitable for people.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Dayanna Marín Sánchez, Arlene Loria Gutierrez, Jeimy Blanco Barrantes, Juan José Mora Román
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