AKTIVITAS ANTIOKSIDAN KOMBUCHA BUNGA CHAMOMILE (Matricaria chamomilla L.) BERDASARKAN LAMA FERMENTASI DENGAN METODE DPPH

Abstract

Oxidative stress arising from excess reactive species underlies many chronic disorders, driving interest in natural antioxidant beverages such as kombucha; however, chamomile flower (Matricaria chamomilla L.) has rarely been explored as a kombucha substrate. This study aimed to evaluate chamomile flower as a kombucha substrate and to determine the effect of fermentation duration on the antioxidant activity of the resulting beverage. Authenticated and standardised chamomile simplicia was infused (10 g/L), sweetened with sucrose (10% w/v), inoculated with SCOBY starter (10% v/v) and fermented at room temperature as a single batch sampled on days 7, 9, 12 and 14. The simplicia was screened phytochemically, and the beverages were assessed for organoleptic properties, hedonic acceptance and pH. DPPH radical scavenging was measured at 516 nm over 10–80 ppm, and IC₅₀ values were compared by one-way ANOVA. All simplicia quality parameters met the Indonesian Herbal Pharmacopoeia requirements, and pH decreased from 4.3 to 3.3. The IC₅₀ fell from 118.73 ppm in the unfermented infusion to 84.26, 67.99, 58.95 and 32.74 ppm on days 7, 9, 12 and 14, respectively (p < 0.05), while quercetin gave 15.87 ppm; the values for the unfermented infusion and day 7 were extrapolated beyond the tested range. Only the 14-day product reached the very strong category (IC₅₀ < 50 ppm), although panellists liked it least. In conclusion, longer fermentation progressively enhanced the antioxidant activity of chamomile kombucha at the expense of sensory acceptance, whereas its consumption safety still requires alcohol, microbiological and storage-stability testing.