SIFAT FISIKOKIMIA DAN ORGANOLEPTIK MINUMAN FUNGSIONAL PROBIOTIK DARI JAHE MERAH (Zingiber officinale Rosc. var. Rubrum) DAN LEMON (Citrus limon L.)

Functional probiotic beverages based on spices represented an innovative food product that combined the benefits of probiotics with bioactive compounds derived from spices. The combination of red ginger and lemon has synergistic potential in developing probiotic beverages with high antioxidant activity and acceptable organoleptic characteristics. This study aimed to determine the effect of red ginger and lemon ratio on physicochemical and organoleptic properties of probiotic beverages produced through fermentation using young coconut water as medium. The study used a Completely Randomized Design with five treatment levels: J1L5 (0%:100%), J2L4 (25%:75%), J3L3 (50%:50%), J4L2 (75%:25%), and J5L1 (100%:0%). Parameters analyzed included physicochemical properties (pH, total titratable acidity, total phenol, total dissolved solids, antioxidant activity, and total plate count) and organoleptic tests. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at a confidence level of α = 0.05. Results showed that increasing lemon concentration significantly decreased pH (3.27-3.41) and increased total titratable acidity (0.93-2.20%), while increasing red ginger concentration significantly increased total phenol content (14.91-378.89 μg GAE/g). Total dissolved solids (2.00-3.23 °Brix), antioxidant activity (103.77-187.77 ppm), and total plate count (39.67-66.67×10³ CFU/mL) showed no significant differences between treatments. Formulations with red ginger content of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% had better acceptance with a preference score of 3.60.