LAUSR

Abstract Retention of quality in herbal drugs during drying and storage is of great concern and the information is lacking in an important memory enhancing medicinal herb Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri L.). This is the first ever report on effect of drying methods, packaging materials as well as storage duration on the bacoside A profile and microbiological quality. Freshly harvested herbage was dried with five different methods of drying viz., shade, sun, solar tunnel, cabinet, low cost polyhouse, followed by packing dried herbage for five months duration in different containers viz., polythene lined jute bags, woven polypropylene sacks, corrugated fiber board boxes, and 125 μm thick high density polyethylene containers. Drying of fresh herbage at 50 °C for 12 h in cabinet drier retained the highest bacoside A components compared with all other methods. Solar tunnel drying was the second best method, while conventional shade dried samples recorded lowest bacoside A level. Bacoside A profile in cabinet samples immediately after drying was 4.8 mg/g bacoside A3, 6.0 mg/g bacopaside II, 5.0 mg/g jujubogenin isomer of bacopasaponin C and 4.6 mg/g bacopasaponin C. Ambient temperature storage (23 ± 2 °C) for five months resulted in loss of bacoside A from the herbage; but packaging in high density polyethylene significantly reduced the loss compared with other packages irrespective of the drying methods. Cabinet dried samples stored in high density polyethylene packages for five months possessed 3.0 mg/g bacoside A3, 4.1 mg/g bacopaside II, 2.5 mg/g bacopasaponin C and 3.2 mg/g jujubogenin isomer of bacopasaponin C. The microbiological quality was also satisfactory during storage in high density polyethylene container. Thus, the work identified a protocol for hygienic way of drying and packaging of Brahmi to retain the bacosides during storage.