Date of Award

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

College/School

College of Education and Human Services

Department/Program

Nutrition and Food Studies

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Adrian Kerrihard

Committee Member

Renata Blumberg

Committee Member

John Specchio

Abstract

Wong Lo Kat (or Wanglaoji in Mandarin) is a popular soft drink containing herbal tea that is often used as a Chinese folk remedy for mild ailments. The herbs included in the drink are the following: Chinese Mesona, White Frangipani, Microcos, Chrysanthemum, Japanese Honeysuckle, Heal All, and Chinese Licorice. While there is research on the individual plants, there is limited information on the combined mixture of the herbs included in the Wong Lo Kat drink, particularly in published English literature. Antioxidant content for the individual herbs and a combined mixture of equal parts of each herb was tested using the TEAC test. To prepare the combined herb solution, each herb’s phenolics were sonicated, centrifuged, and concentrated using a rotary evaporator, then combined in equal parts using 1 mL each. The antioxidant activities were found to be the following: Chinese Mesona was 1.5586 ± 0.1217; White Frangipani was 1.4277 ± 0.2351; Microcos was 1.2813 ± 0.1398; Chrysanthemum was 1.2183 ± 0.1961; Japanese Honeysuckle was 1.4751 ± 0.1702; Heal All was 1.4905 ± 0.1702; Chinese Licorice was 1.1554 ± 0.1483; and combined was 1.2463 ± 0.1892. All values were reported in mmol Trolox equivalency/g sample. ANOVA test was used with Tukey's test to determine that the means of the herbs and combined mixture were not statistically significant from each other. Comparing the Wong Lo Kat mixture with teas available in the market, the antioxidant activity is comparable to several high-quality iterations of green tea and other teas in the market.

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