Herb-mate is a raw material of great importance to Southern Brazil, considering its annual production of approximately 650,000 tons of leaves. The hot mate, known as chimarrão, is the most appreciated beverage and its consumption is linked to the traditions and cultural habits predominantly in the south of the country. Considering its huge importance, the objective of the work was to evaluate the production of laboratory herbmate for chimarrão in order to establish a comparison with the products available on the market. Therefore, it was considered the current legislation and the analysis of its organoleptic and granulometric properties, humidity level and concentration of some toxic metals quantified by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The manufacturing of the final product was made in three steps: first of all, the leaves were submitted to direct fire, then they were dried at a temperature of 40 Cº for 24 hours and, finally, they were ground in a knife mill for 10 minutes. The obtained results showed, in most of the analyzed characteristics, a great similarity between the laboratorial and commercial herb, obtaining approval from 90% of chimarrão consumers who participated in the organoleptic tests. However, the coloration was considered darker and can be explained by logistic problems between the plantation and the laboratory. There was also a divergence in the metals analysis, which showed a higher lead and cadmium concentration when compared to the herbs found on the supermarket shelves. Alarming numbers for consumers were found, since the commercial herbs pointed levels above the recommended for all analyzed metals, which indicate the urgent need for better inspection, as well as improved manufacturing practices of the final product and a better raw material cultivation.
LABORATORY PRODUCTION OF HERB-MATE (ILEX PARAGUARIENSIS) FOR HOT MATE – A PARALLEL WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PRODUCTS AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET