Correlation of tannin concentration and respondent preference of agarwood tea (Gyrinops versteegii) taken from different regions in Lombok Island, Indonesia

Agarwood tea from Gyrinops versteegii is a novel herbal beverage from Lombok Island, Indonesia that needs to be developed through research. Tannin concentration measurement and consumer preference assays are two research parameters required to support the development of herbal tea beverages. This research investigated the correlation between tannin concentration and respondent preference for agarwood tea from G. versteegii in Lombok Island. Gyrinops versteegii leaves as agarwood tea raw material taken from 3 regions in Lombok Island, including North Lombok, West Lombok, and East Lombok. Agarwood tea was made by brewing G. versteegii leaf particles using mineral water and heating them at 70℃ for 5 min. The tannin concentration of the agarwood tea sample was measured by a titrimetric method using KMnO4 and indigo carmine. Consumer preference assay of agarwood tea was carried out using a 5-point hedonic scale. Correlation analysis and standard error evaluation were conducted using Co-Stat for Windows. The result showed that Agarwood tea from North Lombok has the highest tannin concentration, followed by the West Lombok and East Lombok samples. Consumer preference assay has the same pattern as the tannin concentration result. There is a significant correlation between tannin concentration and respondent preference (hedonic test result), with an rvalue of 0.71. It tends to have a higher tannin concentration, which is related to higher respondent preference evaluation. In conclusion, there is a positive correlation between tannin concentration and respondent preference for agarwood tea products made from G. versteegii leaves, which are taken from different regions in Lombok Island