Antioxidant Activity of Herbal Drink using Andaliman (Zanthoxylum acanthopodium DC)

Andaliman is a type of spice typical of North Sumatra, which local people believe to have health benefits. Its potential is only used as a cooking spice for typical foods. This research aims to create a herbal drink as a functional food with antioxidant activity. Herbal drinks were formulated with varying concentrations of andaliman (0% as control, 1%, 2%, and 3%) to evaluate their functional properties. The health potential of herbal drinks was tested by measuring antioxidant activity using the DPPH method, vitamin C content using the titrimetric method, and antibacterial activity using the test bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli as representative of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, respectively. The research showed that the highest vitamin C content of 2.903 ± 0.051% was found in drinks with 3% andaliman. However, the highest antioxidant activity of 10.995 ± 0.027 % was in herbal drinks with 2% andaliman content. The highest antibacterial activity in this study was the inhibition of E. coli bacteria of 11,766 ± 4,760 and B. subtilis 8,066 ± 0.901 mm in drinks containing 3% andaliman. Organoleptic tests show that the color, aroma, taste, and overall consumer acceptance of beverage products are in the favorable range, with the lowest concentration of andaliman as the most preferred product due to the bitter and spicy taste of andaliman. Further research is needed to improve organoleptic parameters, as the herbal drink could not exceed the favorability value of the control drink.