THE INFLUANCE OF PLANT-BASED FUNCTIONAL ADDITIVES ON THE BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF HARD CANDY MADE OF XYLITHOL

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different amounts of propolis extract and different medicinal herbs on the content of biologically active compounds and the antioxidant activity of xylitol-based lozenges. The experiments were conducted in 2026 at the Food Raw Materials Quality Laboratory of the Institute of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Faculty of Agronomy, Agriculture Academy, Vytautas Magnus University. For the study, three different lyophilized medicinal herbs were used: sage (Salvia officinalis L.), peppermint (Mentha piperita L.), and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) leaves and stems, together with an 18% (m/V) propolis extract. In total, twelve different sample combinations were prepared using different herbs and varying concentrations of propolis extract (0, 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5%). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined spectrophotometrically, while antioxidant activity was evaluated using the DPPH free radical scavenging assay.The results showed that the levels of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity varied depending on the composition of the samples and the concentration of propolis extract used. The highest amounts of bioactive compounds were found in samples containing higher levels of propolis extract, whereas the lowest values were observed in the control samples. In addition, the addition of propolis significantly influenced antioxidant activity, which increased with increasing extract concentration. The findings suggest that the use of propolis extract can substantially enhance the levels of phenolic compounds and flavonoids and improve the antioxidant potential of the tested samples, while phenolic compounds of different origins may interact differently with one another.