Shelf Life of Anti-atherosclerosis Herb Based on Bacterial Count and pH Stability

Anti-atherosclerosis Herb is extracted from the simplicia mixture of tanjung leaf (Mimusops elengi L.), starfruit leaf (Averrhoa carambola), and curcuma (Curcuma xanthorrhiza) by using water as solvent. During theirs storage, the contamination of microorganism should be considered because they can make the quality of Anti-atherosclerosis Herb decrease and affect human health. The aim of this study was examine the shelf life of Anti-atherosclerosis Herb. The study was tested for pH stability and bacterial count using Total Plate Count (pour plate) method by variation of temperature and duration storage for 48 hours. The result showed that pH value of Anti-atherosclerosis Herb was constant at pH 5.7-5.6 for 48 hours in refrigerator and 6 hours in room temperature. The result of bacterial count showed that during 48 hours in the room and refrigerator temperature become 1.24 x 108 CFU/ml and 2.36 x 103CFU/ml, respectively. Based on those results, storage condition in the refrigerator up to 48 hours was acceptable shelf life according to BPOM Number 12 (2014) about Quality Requirements of Traditional Medicine, which microorganism contaminated in liquid herb may not exceed from ≤104 CFU/ml.