Tulsi is widely known as a medicinal plant and possesses many health benefits. The pharmacological study regarding the compounds in tulsi has been widely studied, but the sensory characteristic and consumer acceptance of this plant has never been conducted previously. This study aims to investigate the sensory characteristics of functional beverages made from tulsi leaves and to determine which sensory attributes that able to promote consumers’ acceptance. Three samples of tulsi beverages were evaluated by the trained panels (n=14) using Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) while the acceptance test was assessed by 61 consumers. A total of 27 key attributes of tulsi beverages were generated during the QDA evaluation. All the samples have different sensory characteristics. The aroma and taste of ginger, citrus, lemongrass, basil, mint, honey, sweetness, and aftertaste of the hot sensation of ginger were positively associated with consumers’ liking. In contrast, bitter aroma, watery-like texture, astringent and astringent aftertaste were contribute to consumers’ disliking. This study could be used as a preliminary study for developing new functional beverage products from tulsi leaves by considering the sensory characteristic and key attributes for the liking of tulsi beverages.

Tulsi, also known as holly basil, are well known for their medicinal, pharmacological, and health benefits. However, the sensory profiles of food or beverages made from this plant have never been reported before. This study aimed to define the sensory characteristics of beverages made from tulsi leaves using the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) method. Fourteen trained panelists were selected and trained, three samples of tulsi beverages were evaluated and the tests were replicated twice. In total, 27 sensory attributes were generated. The dominant attributes include yellow, brown and transparent colors for the visual aspect, representing tea-like beverage. Moreover, both the odor and flavor of basil, mint and grassy were also perceived as key attributes for the tulsi beverages. In addition, the tulsi beverages were also characterized by strong astringent taste and aftertaste. In general, the test was reliable, however, additional training is needed to train the panelists intensively for the selected attributes. The results obtained from this research can be used as a preliminary study to develop new functional food products made from tulsi leaves by considering their sensory profiles.