## 3 Results and Discussion
### Evaluation of the Infusions of Herbal Mixes
#### 3.2.2 Sensory Analysis of the Different Infusions  
The five samples placed in the herbal blend bags were put into separate flasks. Freshly boiled mineral water (modalities 100 mL and 150 mL) was poured into 2 g of each herbal  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Phytochemicals**} & \multicolumn{5}{c}{**Treatment**} \\ \cline{2-6}  & **Mix 1** & **Mix 2** & **Mix 3** & **Mix 4** & **Mix 5** \\ \hline Flavonoids (mg QE/g) & 1.39 \({}^{\text{a}}\)\(\pm\) 0.025 & 1.02 \({}^{\text{c}}\)\(\pm\) 0.029 & 0.99 \({}^{\text{d}}\)\(\pm\) 0.02 & 0.76 \({}^{\text{e}}\)\(\pm\) 0.11 & 1.28 \({}^{\text{b}}\)\(\pm\) 0.015 \\ \hline Terpenoids (mg SE/g) & 13.12 \({}^{\text{d}}\)\(\pm\) 0.26 & 12.8 \({}^{\text{d}}\)\(\pm\) 0.204 & 14.31 \({}^{\text{c}}\)\(\pm\) 0.162 & 15.36 \({}^{\text{b}}\)\(\pm\) 0.243 & 26.36 \({}^{\text{a}}\)\(\pm\) 0.292 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* Results expressed as mean value \(\pm\) standard deviation (SD); Mix 1: 100% C. _operculatus_; Mix 2: 90% C. _operculatus_, 10% _M. arvensis_; Mix 3: 70% C. _operculatus_, 30% M. _arensis_; Mix 4: 50% C. _operculatus_, 50% M. _arvensis_; and Mix 5: 100% M. _arensis_. Means (of three replicates) followed by a different letter \({}^{\text{a}+}\) are significantly different at an alpha level of 0.05% according to a Least Significant Difference test.  
\end{table}
Table 4: Flavonoid and terpenoid contents in the different infusions prepared on dried leaves of _C. operculatus_ and _M. arensis_ mixed in various proportions.  
blend sample and infused for 10 min. The sensory properties of the herbal blend beverage were tested by 45 respondents. The most accepted proportion of the herbal ingredients was chosen using a nine-point hedonic scale.  
Compared with the initial 100 mL reference (2 g DW of powder infused in 100 mL of hot water), a lower level of bitterness was noted with 150 mL, and the best blend was Mix 3. Each sample of leaf powder comprised a mix of old, medium, and young leaves.  
As hedonic scales are useful for testing and measuring preferences [28], a nine-point hedonic scale was used to determine acceptability. The sensory characteristics of the drink comprising _C. operculatus_ and _M. arrensis_ in various proportions are presented in Table 5. All the _C. operculatus_ and _M. arrensis_ drinks showed a brownish-to-yellow color. _M. arrensis_ yields a specific flavor (i.e., metabolites) with refreshing effects. _C. operculatus_ alone has a bitter taste (if too concentrated) but a specific, unique, and subtle aroma if the concentration is not too high. According to the analysis of the _C. operculatus_ leaves prepared using this method, the specific unique aroma and taste of _C. operculatus_ could be maintained. Compared with the reference conditions (infusion of 2 g of dried powder in 100 mL of hot water), one tea bag (of 2 g) mixed with 150 mL of water led to better results. For brewing in 150 mL of water, the nine-point hedonic scale sensory analysis of the participants' responses showed overall acceptability, ranging from 4.9 to 8.5 points, which meant that the responses ranged from neither like nor dislike to extremely like (Table 5). It was found that Mix 3 received the highest score, with a hedonic value of 8.5 (the maximum score is 9 for the sensory profiling). Therefore, the most appropriate proportion of the herbal blend beverage was 70% _C. operculatus_ and 30% _M. arrensis_.  
As far as an infusion presenting a sensory evaluation below 6 or 7 will not have a chance to be accepted by consumers, it became obvious that only Mix 3 could be of interest. Then, we decided to evaluate further characteristics of such a mix, and only on Mix 3.