Formulation and Quality Evaluation of a Ginger-Enriched Functional Candy as Dietary Support for Cough and Respiratory Wellness

Coughs and mild respiratory discomfort are common health complaints worldwide, and safety concerns and limited effectiveness of conventional antitussives have renewed interest in food-based alternatives. Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) contains bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antitussive properties, yet a standardized confectionery vehicle for delivering these compounds has not been well established. This study formulated a ginger-enriched functional hard candy at four inclusion levels (0%, 1%, 2% and 3% ginger powder; T0-T3) with jaggery, honey and citric acid, and evaluated its proximate composition, physicochemical properties, total phenolic content, DPPH radical-scavenging activity, microbiological safety and sensory acceptability using 30 semi-trained panelists on a 9-point hedonic scale, with data analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test. Increasing ginger concentration significantly (p<0.05) raised pH, moisture, ash, crude fiber and titratable acidity while hardness decreased; phenolic content rose nearly fourfold and DPPH scavenging activity nearly tripled, and microbial counts stayed below 10 CFU/g throughout. T2 (2% ginger) achieved the highest sensory acceptability (8.5/9), whereas T3 was perceived as excessively pungent. These findings support the feasibility of a ginger-enriched hard candy as a dietary adjunct for cough and respiratory wellness, with 2% ginger as the optimum level pending clinical confirmation.