The quince fruit can be an alternative for producing healthy tea because it is a rich source of bioactive compounds. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of heating (for 20, 40 and 60 min) on the bioactive compounds of quince and quality attributes its tisanes. To this aim, phenolic content of the treated sample (for 40 min according to sensory analysis) was evaluated by HPLC and antioxidant activity was measured using DPPH method. The analysis of sensory evaluation data demonstrated that the heating process significantly improved the color and taste of the quince tisanes. Thermal treatment (180 °C) for 40 min had maximum acceptability. Although, results confirmed negative effects of the heating process on phenolic content, it showed an increase in antioxidant activity. The HPLC data displayed significant reduction in total amount of five identified phenolic compounds from 460.51 to 25.49 mg/25 g extract by heat treatment. In contrast the roasted sample exhibited lower IC50 (663.88 µg/ml) than the unprocessed sample (1098.66 µg/ml). Considering the elevated antioxidant activity achieved through the heating process, the quince tisane can be considered as a healthy beverage.
Keywords: Antioxidant activity; HPLC; Phenolic compounds; Quince tea; Sensory evaluation.