AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION CENTRE www.arccjournals.com *Corresponding author’s e-mail: dr.lunadb@gmail.com 1 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-785 013, Assam, India. Development of polyherbal granules and its nutritional characterization Luna Dutta Baruah 1* , Asha Arya, Vijaya Nalwade and Rohini Devi Department of Food and Nutrition, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani-431 402, Maharashtra, India. Received: 23-01-2017 Accepted: 27-05-2017 DOI:10.18805/ajdfr.v36i03.8970 ABSTRACT Two poly herbal granules (AVII and SBWII) were developed utilizing the extracts of five medicinal plants on the basis of organoleptic evaluation, nutritional composition and shelf life. Five medicinal plants viz., Asparagus racemosus, Chlorophytum borivilianum, Tinospora cordifolia, Tribulus terrestris and Withania somnifera enriched with general tonic and health promoting property were selected for the formulations which were based on Aloe vera gel and soyabean whey. The nutrient analysis of the formulated granules exhibited that the carbohydrates were the major constituents in both AVII and SBWII, followed by protein and total ash. Fat contents were 0.96 and 1.18 g/100g in AVII and SBWII, respectively. The energy levels of AVII and SBWII were 378 and 377 Kcal/100g, correspondingly. Higher contents of Ca (70.20 mg/ 100g), Mg (85.27mg/100g) and P (61.55 mg/100g) were observed in SBWII. The trace elements revealed that, Zn and Fe content were 1.84 and 8.63mg/100g in AVII and 1.85 and 7.85mg/100g in SBWII, respectively. The retention and stability of vitamin C, total sugar, reducing sugar and non-reducing sugar for 270 days illustrated the storage life of the product in ambient condition. Key words: Aloe vera, Medicinal plant, Polyherbal granules, Soyabean whey. INTRODUCTION Plant materials or their extracts are being utilized as drugs since ancient ages which are arguably poised for a comeback as sources of human health products following the endorsement by World Health Organization (WHO) to use traditional plant based product to fulfill needs unmet by modern systems (Winslow and Kroll, 1998). In 2013, WHO developed and launched ‘WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023’ and emphasized to integrate traditional and complementary medicine to promote universal healthcare and to ensure the quality, safety and effectiveness of such medicine (WHO, 2013). Herbs or other botanicals and their extracts or concentrates are specifically mentioned as dietary supplements (Sen and Chakraborty, 2016). The usage of herbal products throughout the globe and especially in India is ubiquitous. Today, over 75-80% of world population and more than 70% of Indian population rely on herbal products directly or indirectly for meeting their health care needs (Samal, 2016). India is bestowed with 17000- 18000 species of medicinal plants of which 7000-7500 have been used in Ayurveda, Unani system of medicines and by tribal healers (Samal, 2016). Some herbs are classified as adaptogens i.e. they assist normalization of body system functions altered by stress rather than exerting a stimulatory effect. Herbs are also used to improve performance both in terms of endurance and strength, improve recovery, maintain health during intense period of exercise, build muscle mass and reduce body fat. Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller) is a member of the Lily family, is a multifunctional herb and is described in Ayurveda, as blood purifier, diuretic, tonic, laxative and fever reliever (Radha and Laxmipriya, 2015; Sasikumar, 2015). Acemannan, a partially acetylated polysaccharide found in the Aloe vera gel, is responsible for its biological activities (Chokboribal et al., 2015; Kumar and Tiku, 2016). Aspargus racemosus of Asparagaceae family has been referred as bitter-sweet, emollient, cooling, nervine tonic, constipating, aphorodisiac, diuretic, rejuvenating, carminative, stomachic, antiseptic and as tonic and also has potent antioxidant, immunostimulant, anti dyspepsia and antitussive effects (Bopana and Saxena, 2007). Chlorophytum borivilianum belonging to Liliaceae family constitute a group of herbs used as “Rasayanas.” It acts as aphrodisiac, adaptogenic and a general health promotive tonic (Kenjale et al., 2007). Tinospora cordifolia belonging to the Menispermaceae family is generally used for its general tonic, antiperiodic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anti- arthritic, anti-allergic and anti-diabetic properties (Shirolkar et al., 2013). Tribullus terrestris a member of Zygophylaceae family is used in folk medicine as tonic, aphrodisiac, analgesic, astringent, stomachic, antihypertensive, diuretic, lithon-triptic and urinary anti-infective (Lamba et al., 2011; Asian J. Dairy & Food Res, 36(3) 2017 : 214-221 Print ISSN:0971-4456 / Online ISSN:0976-0563