Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene 2476-3241 11 1 2025 04 08 13 27 Dorothy Arukwe Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike Omodamiro Majekodunmi National Root Crops Research Institute Umudike, Nigeria and Kampala International University, Uganda. Nkeiruka Nwanagba Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Nigeria. Chigozie Ijioma Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Nigeria. 2025 02 07 2025 07 29 This study evaluated the phytochemical, vitamin, microbial quality and sensory acceptability of functional drinks produced from blends of beetroot and ginger sweetened with date fruit syrup. Six blends were proportioned from juices of beetroot and ginger sweetened with date syrup and labeled as samples ICN (100:0), CHO (95:5), NGO (90:10), OJO (85:15), DMJ (80:20) and OJK (70:25) where sample ICN served as the control. The phytochemical, vitamin and microbial quality of the functional drinks were determined using standard analytical methods, while the sensorial evaluation was done by the 9-point hedonic scale. The results depicted that noticeable disparities (p<0.05) existed in the phytochemical and vitamin content of the functional drinks. The phytochemical content ranged from 0.1-0.38 mg/100 mL and 0.21 – 0.43 mg/100 mL for flavonoid and phenol respectively. The vitamin content results showed that vitamin A decreased, while vitamins B9 and C increased with a rise in the proportion of ginger in the mixtures. The microbial results showed that the bacterial and fungal loads decreased significantly (p<0.05) with the rise in the inclusion of ginger into beetroot. However, the bacterial and fungal loads of the functional drinks increased as the days of storage increased to 28 days. No coliform was detected in the drinks up to the 28th day of storage. The sensory results showed that sample NGO (90:10; beetroot: ginger) had the highest scores for appearance, aroma, taste, mouth feel and general acceptability. This study has shown that microbiologically safe functional drinks can be produced from blends of beetroot and ginger sweetened with date syrup. https://jfsh.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jfsh/article/view/541