Evaluation of the antimicrobial properties of formulated herb teas from the leaves and peels of five plants as functional food.

Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next only to water. Tea in general and herb tea in particular are gaining increasing consumer attention due to a growing awareness of health benefits derived from their consumption as an important world food product. Even as several underutilized plants exist with potential for processing into herb tea, research in product development of herb teas is limited. This study was therefore carried out to evaluate and compare the antimicrobial properties of herb teas from Moringa oleifera and Stevia rebaudiana leaves; orange, lime and pineapple juices and peels with a view to ascertain their relevant effects on well-being and health, or in a reduction in disease risk. The herbs were unblanched, oven-dried (40^oC), milled, partially fermented and formulated into 3 herb tea products: Orange Moringa tea (OMT), Lime Moringa tea (LMT) and Pineapple Moringa tea (PMT). Aqueous, methanol and chloroform extracts of the herb teas were tested for their in vitro growth inhibitory effects against pathogenic Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans using the agar dilution and agar well diffusion methods. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the extracts against all microorganisms were 30 mg/mL (OMT and PMT) and 15 mg/mL (LMT). The methanol extracts produced zones of inhibition comparable to those produced by ciprofloxacin (20mg) and Kanamycin (30mg). LMT showed highest activity against all microorganisms. Findings suggest that the formulated herb teas may be used as a natural remedy in the treatment of microbial infections.