The Circular Economy of Herbal Beverage Products and Their Physicochemical Characteristics

The circular economy seeks to maximize resource utility while enhancing waste materials’ added value. Herbal beverages are derived from biopharmaceutical plants, commonly using ginger, cardamom, turmeric, aromatic ginger or lesser galangal, and curcuma. This study had two primary objectives: (1) to analyze the physicochemical characteristics of instant ginger, instant turmeric, and instant ginger beverages, and (2) to enhance the economic value of production waste by converting it into liquid organic fertilizer (POC). The research was conducted at the small and medium enterprise “AIG Bunda Nisa” in Semarang Regency, Indonesia. Physicochemical characteristics were assessed through proximate analysis, and the quality of the POC was evaluated based on the standards set by the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture (No.216/KPTS/SR.310/M/4/2019). The findings revealed that waste from the production of instant herbal drinks can be effectively repurposed as POC. The analysis showed that instant ginger beverages have higher ash and carbohydrate content than fresh ginger but lower total fat and protein content. Additionally, instant ginger beverages’ caloric value and carbohydrate content are higher than fresh ginger. Conversely, instant ginger’s protein content is lower than fresh ginger’s. In the case of turmeric, the ash, total fat, moisture, and protein content in fresh turmeric were lower than in instant turmeric beverages. Ekonomi sirkular bertujuan untuk memaksimalkan pemanfaatan sumber daya sekaligus meningkatkan nilai tambah dari bahan limbah. Minuman herbal berasal dari tanaman biofarmasi, umumnya menggunakan jahe, kapulaga, kunyit, kencur, atau lengkuas, dan temulawak. Penelitian ini memiliki dua tujuan utama: (1) menganalisis karakteristik fisiko-kimiawi dari minuman instan jahe, minuman instan kunyit, dan minuman instan jahe, serta (2) meningkatkan nilai ekonomi dari limbah produksi dengan mengubahnya menjadi pupuk organik cair (POC). Penelitian dilakukan di usaha kecil dan menengah "AIG Bunda Nisa" di Kabupaten Semarang, Indonesia. Karakteristik fisiko-kimiawi dinilai melalui analisis proksimat, dan kualitas POC dievaluasi berdasarkan standar yang ditetapkan oleh Kementerian Pertanian Indonesia (No.216/KPTS/SR.310/M/4/2019). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa limbah dari produksi minuman herbal instan dapat diolah kembali secara efektif menjadi POC. Analisis menunjukkan bahwa minuman instan jahe memiliki kandungan abu dan karbohidrat yang lebih tinggi dar