Effects of Drying Methods and Tea Preparation Temperature on the Amount of Vitamin C in Indian Gooseberry Tea

Indian gooseberry is a rich source of vitamin C. The fruit can be consumed either fresh or after processing into different products including Indian gooseberry tea. Both drying and tea preparation steps affect quality of the gooseberry tea drink made using dried gooseberry. This study investigated the effects of different drying methods, i.e., hot air drying, vacuum drying, and low-pressure superheated steam drying, on the retention and degradation of vitamin C (in terms of the total ascorbic acid content, TAA) in dried gooseberry flakes. In addition, the effect of temperature of water used to prepare the tea on the release of TAA and on its later degradation was also investigated.