Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to explore the processing conditions for the production of honeysuckle herbal tea
fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum PMO. An orthogonal array design based on single factor experiments was employed
to examine the influence of inoculum amount, temperature, time and the concentration of sugar added to aqueous extract
of honeysuckle flowers on the fermentation process and optimize the fermentation conditions. Results showed that the
domesticated strain of Lactobacillus plantarum PMO grew well in honeysuckle tea. The content of chlorogenic acid in
honeysuckle tea was little affected by the fermentation process, where it always remained at approximately 29.20 mg/g. The
optimal fermentation conditions were determined as fermentation of honeysuckle extract containing 7% sugar added at 37 ℃
for 14 h with an inoculum amount of 3%.

Key words: honeysuckle tea, Lactobacillus plantarum PMO, fermentation, processing condition, chlorogenic acid