Aloe Vera coating for fruit and vegetables

September 23, 2005

This will be good for vegans providing they don't add any animal

ingredients to the aloe vera.

Jo

22 Sep 2005

Aloe vera gel is best known for its therapeutic effect on burned or

irritated skin, but in the future you could be eating the gel as a

healthful additive to your fruits and veggies. Researchers in Spain

say they have developed a gel from the tropical plant that can be

used as an edible coating to prolong the quality and safety of fresh

produce. The gel, which does not appear to affect food taste or

appearance, shows promise as a safe, natural and environmentally-

friendly alternative to conventional synthetic preservatives that are

currently applied to produce after harvesting, the researchers say.

Although a number of edible coatings have been developed to preserve

food freshness, the new coating is believed to be the first to use

Aloe vera, according to study leader Daniel Valero, Ph.D., of the

University of Miguel Hernández in Alicante, Spain. His study will

appear in the Oct. 5 print issue of the American Chemical Society's

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the Society's peer-

reviewed publication.

Valero and his associates dipped a group of common table grapes

(Crimson Seedless) into Aloe vera gel and stored them for five weeks

under low temperature while exposing a group of untreated table

grapes to the same conditions. The colorless Aloe gel used in this

study was developed through a special processing technique that

maximized the amount of active compounds in the gel, Valero and

associates say. The gel can also be applied as a spray, they add.

The untreated grapes appeared to deteriorate rapidly within about 7

days, whereas the gel-coated grapes were well-preserved for up to 35

days under the same experimental conditions, the researchers say. The

gel-treated grapes were firmer, had less weight loss and less color

change than the untreated grapes, measures which correspond to higher

freshness, they say.

A sensory panel (10 people) evaluated the quality of both the

untreated and the gel-treated grapes by consuming some of the grapes.

They found that the gel-treated grapes were generally superior in

taste.

The researchers believe that the gel works through a combination of

mechanisms. Composed mostly of polysaccharides, the gel appears to

act as a natural barrier to moisture and oxygen, which can speed food

deterioration. But the gel also enhances food safety, the scientists

say. Based on previous studies by others, Aloe vera gel appears to

contain various antibiotic and antifungal compounds that can

potentially delay or inhibit microorganisms that are responsible for

foodborne illness in humans as well as food spoilage.

Although the health effects of Aloe gel on human consumption were not

directly measured in this study, the coating is believed to be safe,

the researchers say. They note that Aloe vera gel has been used as a

functional ingredient in some foods and beverages for years. In

addition to preserving table grapes, which are highly perishable, the

gel can be applied to other fruits and vegetables, they say. Further

testing of the gel on other types of produce is anticipated.

The gel also offers potential environmental benefits, the researchers

add. It could provide a greener alternative to sulfur dioxide and

other synthetic food preservatives that are commonly used on produce

and increasingly the target of health concerns, they say.

Valero and his associates have filed a patent application in Spain

for their gel. It could appear in the U.S. consumer market within a

year, Valero estimates, noting that the gel is a natural product and

is unlikely to face any major regulatory hurdles. Funding for this

study was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology

and the European Commission via FEDER (European fund for regional

development).

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization, chartered

by the U.S. Congress, with a multidisciplinary membership of more

than 158,000 chemists and chemical engineers. It publishes numerous

scientific journals and databases, convenes major research

conferences and provides educational, science policy and career

programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and

Columbus, Ohio.

- Mark T. Sampson

Michael Bernstein

m_bernstein

202-872-4400

American Chemical Society

acs.org

September 23, 2005

personally, i'd rather just buy fresh and not have it trucked 4 billion miles

away so it needs to be coated with anything

but, guess fer folks in nyc er anchorage thats sorta not an option

heartwerk <heartwork

Sep 23, 2005 4:30 AM