Caracterización de la ortiga (Urtica) para la elaboración de té en polvo soluble

Abstract

The stinging nettle has traditionally been considered an adventitious flora, leading to widespread aversion due to its stinging properties attributed to the contained acid. This fact has resulted in a reluctance to harness its nutritional and medicinal benefits. Consequently, this research aimed to characterize the stinging nettle (Urtica) through physicochemical and microbiological tests for soluble powder tea production. The methodology involved the collection of quantitative data from both the nettle plant (moisture, ash content, fiber, minerals, and phytochemical screening) and the soluble nettle powder tea (moisture, HCl-insoluble ash, solubility; Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Bacillus cereus, and Clostridium perfringens). Qualitative data also resulted from sensory analysis (taste, aroma, colour, and texture). As this was a characterization study, no treatments were applied; however, ten samples total, including nettle leaves and soluble nettle powder tea, were subjected to descriptive statistics, emphasizing central tendency and dispersion measurements. Data collection and analysis procedures were in the laboratories of bromatology and animal nutrition, biotechnology, and animal microbiology at the Polytechnic School of Chimborazo. Results from the physicochemical tests on the nettle revealed the following: moisture (92.48%), ash content (5.33%), fiber (3.73%), Ca (0.14 ppm), K (0.29 ppm), Fe (3.63 ppm), and phytochemical screening. Other aspects of the tea included values like moisture content of 10.722%, HCl-insoluble ash (1.259%), and solubility. Microbiological analyses reported the absence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella, with Bacillus cereus at 176.5 CFU/g and Clostridium perfringens at 25.5 CFU/g. Sensory evaluations scored taste (3 points), aroma (3 points), colour (4 points), and texture (4 points). Consequently, the tea production meets the quality standards.