Preparation technology of tangerine peel composite solid beverage and its protective effect on mice with acute alcoholic liver injury

[Objective] A solid beverage with antialcoholic function was developed by the raw materials of tangerine peel, hawthorn and <i>Pueraria lobata</i>, which had the same origin as food and medicine, and explore its protective effect on mice with acute alcoholic liver injury. [Methods] The dry paste rate and total flavone content were used as the indexes，the extraction process was selected by orthogonal test. The single factor method was used to optimize the forming process with the indexes of sensory evaluation, shaping rate and solubility. A mouse model of acute alcoholic liver injury was established by administering 52% alcohol. The liver index, aspartate aminotransferase （AST） and serum alanine aminotransferase （ALT） in serum, as well as total cholesterol （TC）, triglyceride （TG）, superoxide dismutase （SOD）, malondialdehyde （MDA）, glutathione （GSH）, the inflammatory factor IL-1<i>β</i>, IL-6, TNF-α in liver tissue were measured. The pathological changes of the liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. [Results] The optimal preparation process of tangerine peel composite solid beverage: three herbs were soaked for 30 minutes and extracted twice. The first solid-liquid ratio was 1∶12 （g/mL） and the extraction time was 2.0 h, and the second solid-liquid ratio was 1∶10 （g/mL） and the extraction time was 1.5 h. And then combined the two extracts. After concentration, drying and crushing, dry paste powder was obtained, mixed with maltodextrin in a 1∶1 ratio, added 1.0% mogroside, and used 90% ethanol as wetting agent for wet granulation. The results of animal experiments show that: compared with model group, the levels of AST, ALT, TG, TC, MDA, IL-1<i>β</i>, IL-6, TNF-α were reduced （<i>P</i>＜0.01, <i>P</i>＜0.05） by the pretreatments with tangerine peel composite solid beverage, and the levels of GSH, SOD were increased （<i>P</i>＜0.01）. The histopathological sections of the liver showed significant improvement in the degree of hepatic injury in the administered mice. [Conclusion] tangerine peel composite solid beverage has uniform color, good solubility, moderate sweetness and delicate taste, and has good protective effect on acute alcoholic liver injury.