Some physicochemical and phytochemical properties of Syringa vulgaris L. flower tea: influence of flower drying technique, brewing method and brewing time

Lilac, one of the edible flowers, consumption status as herbal tea was evaluated in this study. In the evaluation of lilac as an herbal tea, as an alternative to infusion, microwave and ultrasound-assisted brewing methods were used. To evaluate the effectiveness of the brewing time, dried flowers were brewed for 2, 5 and 10 min. Brix, color, turbidity, pH, and acidity values, total phenolic and monomeric anthocyanin contents, antioxidant activity and phenolic composition of lilac teas were evaluated. As the brewing method, microwave and infusion mostly yielded similar results, but ultrasound was less effective than these two methods in brewing lilac teas. The brewing time significantly affected the physicochemical properties of the tea, and the highest extraction efficiency was obtained in 10 min of brewing. It can be recommended to brew the tea for 10 min using the microwave method as an alternative to infusion in the preparation of lilac tea.