| A variety of formulations of instant herbal teas have been widely developed for generating numerous food supplements. Gotu kola, the scientific name of Centella asiatica (Linn.) in the Umbelliferae family, is generally used as a medicinal herb for the application of anti-inflammation, diuretic, diarrhea and food additives. With the bitter taste of this medicinal plant, many techniques have therefore been modified for preparing the instant Gotu kola teas. The objective of this study was to develop the instant tea formulations via spray drying process. All processed-instant teas were characterised in order to evaluate the physicochemical and organoleptic properties. The results indicated that the formulation from spray drying technique with the mixture of Gotu kola extract, lactose and vitasweet obtained the fine particles with light green color. The investigation of processed particles by optical microscope and X-ray powder diffraction showed that they were amorphous form. Additionally, the percentage of loss on drying of sprayed particles was 4.33. Such particles were easily dissolved in water and given the final pH at 8.58. Sprayed particles were also examined using infrared spectroscopy to identify chemical structure of the active component. Furthermore, the results of organoleptic assessment revealed that particles contained a sweet taste with specific smell of Gotu kola. This experiment finally demonstrated that it should be able to develop the formulation of instant Gotu kola tea via spray drying technique.
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