The Effects of Drying on Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Herbal Tea Leaf Extracts

The preservation of herbal plants is crucial for commercialization and consumption. However, preservation process such as drying can degrade the bioactivity of herbal plants. This thesis studies the effects of different drying methods on the bioactivity of herbal plants together with the effects of oxidase enzymes. It was observed that oxidase enzymes play a major role in the degradation of phenolics and work hand in hand with drying temperature during degradation. The limitation of one of these factors can result in a much better preservation of bioactivity.