جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « آلوئه ورا » در نشریات گروه « صنایع غذایی »

The aim of this research was to produce a diet beverage based on aloe vera and investigate its physicochemical, microbiological, antioxidant, and sensory properties. To achieve this goal, aloe vera gel at concentrations of 5%, 5.7%, and 10% underwent heat treatment at 80°C for 30 minutes (Treatment A) and 90°C for 3 minutes (Treatment B). Aspartame was added at concentrations of 100, 150, and 200 ppm, and the beverages were stored for a period of 31 days. The study was conducted using a fractional factorial design with 34 samples under investigation. Optimization was performed based on a maximum amount of 10 gr of aloe vera, 200 ppm of aspartame, and a minimum amount of 5 gr of aloe vera and 100 ppm of aspartame. The use of the sweetener aspartame was highly effective in improving the taste of the beverage, as it provides a much sweeter sensation compared to saccharide sugars and is beneficial for diabetic patients. Based on the microbiological test results, the heat treatment (pasteurization) was successful. Furthermore, sensory evaluation showed improvements in taste, aroma, texture, and mouthfeel with the addition of aloe vera gel to the samples with no undesirable characteristics observed. After determining the models and variable combinations using the Design Expert software, an optimized sample was introduced, containing 200 ppm of aspartame, 10 gr of aloe vera, and the optimized pasteurization process, which was Treatment B for 30 minutes. The results of this study indicate that a vegetable-based diet beverage containing aloe vera can be successfully produced as a beneficial product with desirable sensory characteristics that are acceptable to consumers.

Cherry, with the scientific name Prunus avium L., is one of the most important stone fruit trees in temperate regions, belonging to the Rosaceae family and the Prunoideae subfamily. Edible coatings are thin layers of materials that are used on the surface of the product and are an alternative to protective wax coatings. Chitosan is a coating that has a polysaccharide structure and is composed of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine units and is obtained from the shell of crustaceans such as crabs and shrimps. Clear, odorless, non-sticky gel with high and firm absorption power is extracted from the inner parts of aloe vera plant leaves. Between this gel and the outer skin of the leaf, there are special cells that contain a yellow liquid and when this liquid dries, aloe vera juice is produced. This gel is completely healthy and compatible with the environment, and its pH is about 4.5, which can replace various fruit coatings in the post-harvest stage. The purpose of this research was to investigate the combined effect of aloe vera gel and chitosan in maintaining the quality characteristics post harvesting and increasing the shelf life of Lombard cherry fruit.

Lambert black cherry fruit was obtained from the garden complex of Moghan Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Company located in Pars Abad city of Ardabil province. they were immediately transferred to the Postharvest Physiology Laboratory, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, for the desired treatments.This study aimed to extend the shelf life of cherry fruit with two edible chitosan coatings (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5% w/w) and aloe vera gel (0, 15%, 30%, 45% w/w) was performed as factorial in a completely randomized design in three replications. The measured parameters were soluble solids, vitamin C, total acidity, anthocyanin, starch, weight loss and firmness of fruit tissue that were evaluated at harvest time and 45 days after harvest.

The results of analysis variance showed that the effect of time had significant on cherry fruit flavor (P<0.01). The use of Aloe vera gel had a significant effect (P<0.01) on soluble solids, starch, firmness, fruit flavor and also weight loss (P<0.05). The effect of chitosan treatment also were significant on total soluble solids, starch, firmness, and fruit flavor (P<0.01). Moreover, Interaction effect of aloe vera gel and chitosan treatments on total soluble solids, starch, firmness, and fruit flavor were significant (P<0.01) during at storage time. The compare means showed that the ratio of soluble sugars to total acid was increased. The highest soluble solids and their ratio to total acid were obtained as a result of the using of 45% aloe vera gel with 0.5% chitosan coating. Combining of aloe vera gel with 30% and 45% concentrations with chitosan at 1% and 1.5% were able to maintain better firmness of fruit tissue compared to other treatments during storage time.The highest residual starch in the fruit was obtained in using aloe vera gel treatments at concentrations of 15%, 40% and 45% with 1% chitosan during storage. Also, the use of aloe vera gel (all three levels) was exceled compared to control on fruit weight loss. By reducing the activity of ethylene, chitosan causes a delay in ripening and aging and as a result reduces the firmness of the fruit. Aloe vera gel reduces the activity of pectin methylesterase, poly-galactronase and beta-galactosidase. These enzymes destroy the cell wall and soften the fruit.

The interest in using edible coatings to maintain the optimum quality of fruits during the marketing and storage process has increased. Edible coatings can act as a barrier, thereby reducing quality loss, inhibiting gas exchange, controlling respiration rates, and preventing the growth of microorganisms that cause fruit decay. The results clearly indicated the preservation of the quality of cherry fruit with the use of edible coatings compared to the control. The use of the treatment combination of chitosan at a concentration of 1.5% with aloe vera at a concentration of 45% has had a positive and significant effect to maintain the quality of cherry fruit after harvesting. Therefore, the use of this treatment combination is recommended to increase the storage life and maintain the quality of Lambert cherry fruit during the storage period.

In recent years, edible coatings have received much attention due to their functional properties and have been used for a number of food products including fruits. Apricot is one of the fruits with short shelf life. Therefore, this study aimed to increase the shelf life of apricots at refrigerator temperature using edible aloe vera coating and to investigate its physicochemical properties. For this purpose, aloe vera gel was first prepared, dried and powdered. Then 0, 1 and 2% solutions of aleo vera powder were prepared and apricots of Rajabali cultivar were dipped for 5 minutes in solutions. The apricots were then packed in polystyrene containers and stored in the refrigerator at 4±1°C and 60±5% relative humidity. The samples were removed from the refrigerator at 0, 5, 15 and 25 days after storage, and physicochemical characteristics including weight loss, acidity, pH, firmness, vitamin C, mold percentage and color components were evaluated. Finally, the results were analyzed using a completely randomized design based on factorial test. The results showed that aloe vera gel at 2% concentration was highly effective in increasing the shelf life of apricots up to 25 days and the control samples without aloe vera coating had a significant decrease in quality and up to 50% moldiness. Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of aloe eera edible coating increases apricot shelf life, preserves physicochemical properties and decreases moldiness in apricots. In this way Rajabali apricots could be preserved for 15 days at cold stores.

The aim of this study was to produce dry aloe vera slice by osmotic-hot air drying method and to investigate the effects of this method on texture, color, shrinkage, water re-absorption ability and water activity. The studied variables included precooking time (5, 7 and 10 minutes), drying time (8, 10 and 12 hours) and drying temperature (40, 50 and 60 ° C) using the response surface method in the form of a central composite design. It was examined with six replications at the central point. The results showed that increasing the temperature to 50°C increased the hardness of the texture, but further increasing the temperature reduced the hardness. The rate of rehydration was affected by drying temperature. With increasing temperature, the rate of rehydration in the samples increased. However, changing the pre-cooking and drying process time had no effect on the amount of this parameter. None of the studied independent variables had a significant effect on water activity. Optimization results showed that pre-cooking for 10 minutes and drying at 53.93°C for 8 hours will produce products with the best characteristics.

The use of chemical treatments to prevent waste after harvesting fruits has harmful effects which are considered as an important factor in reducing their shelf life.Since the ancient time,Plants have been one of the first available resources for treatment. Recently, extensive research has been done on medicinal herbs such as aloe vera. This plant is able to play an important role in preserving the freshnees and quality of fruits and also controlling fungi.it can also be used as a barrier to the entry and exit of materials,transfer of components and additives, and prevention of the growth of microorganisms on the surface of fruits as well as their mechanical protection. Aloe vera coating was used in different concentrations of gel (100,75, 50, 25%) during 24 day sof storage at 12ºc.Microbial stability, physicochemical properties (weight loss,tissue stiffness, pH , Soluble solids) and color sensory properties of the banana coated with aloe vera gel were evaluated and compared to the control after 24 days of storage. The results showed the coating of aloe vera had an effect on all the sensory attributes and singnificantly delayed the growth of microorganisms and effectively reduced weight loss compared to the contro and this coating caused beter preservation of stiffness and freshness of bananas coated with aloe vera gel.It readuced soluble solids and had a significant effect on the pH of the treatments and had no significant effect on the sensory properties of color in different treatments compared to the control.It can be concluded that edible coatings act as a barrier against moisture migration, And some,coating such as aloe vera antimicrobial and antifugal properties.Therefore,t he coating of aloe vera gel on banana fruit in cold storage increases its shelf life and preserves its freshness.

Based on the findings of the current study, the 75% v/v A. vera gel coating could be a promising natural coating agent for preservation of bioactive compounds of cherry tomatoes during the postharvest life especially at storage temperature of 5 ºC.

Cherry tomato as a climacteric product has a short postharvest life and so it is necessary to use methods such as coating to increase its shelf life. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of fresh Aloe vera gel edible coating concentration (25, 50, 75 and 100% v/v) and storage temperature (5, 12 and 25 °C) on postharvest quality characteristics of cherry tomatoes such as weight loss, titratable acidity, total soluble solids and sensorial properties stored for 24 days and also to study the kinetics of their changes. During the storage period, the weight loss, total soluble solids of all samples increased and the titratable acidity decreased. The use of A. vera gel considerably controlled the quality characteristics changes while the increase in temperature intensified the changes in the studied characteristics. In addition, the use of A. vera gel and low storage temperature reduced the incidence of decay and increased the score of sensory properties. Kinetic studies showed that the changes in weight loss and total soluble solids followed the first-order model and the titratable acidity followed the fractional conversion model. The constant rate of postharvest characteristics changes under different conditions followed Arrhenius equation. Based on the findings of the current study, it seems that applying fresh A. vera gel with 75% concentration and storage temperature of 5 °C improves the postharvest qualitative and sensorial characteristics of cherry tomatoes during 24 days of storage.

Nowadays, lack of time and busy work schedules have led to increase the demand for ready-to-eat foods. Furthermore, as cardiovascular diseases are on the rise in the world including our country, with nearly 40 percent of deaths being linked to these diseases, there is a growing demand for low-fat products. The main purpose of the deep frying process is to preserve the aroma and flavor of the ingredients in a crispy crust by immersing the food in hot oil. Frying at high temperatures affects the transfer of mass and heat, which causes some of the water to evaporate and be removed from the product, and the oil is moved into the product, replacing the extracted water. This study aims to use methods that reduce the absorption of oil in the fried product, which can reduce health concerns and increase consumer acceptance of the product.

In this study, a day-old chicken breast fillets were used to prepare the samples. The weight of the samples was between 14.5 and 15 grams, with a diameter of 3.7. Coating solutions include aloe vera gel powder at three levels of 1.5, 3, and 4.5 % (w / v) and whey protein concentrate (WPC) at three levels of 2.5, 5 and 7.5 % (w / v), made with distilled water at 25C. Baguette bread was also used to make breadcrumbs. To coat the chicken breast fillet, the samples were immersed in the coating solution (control samples in distilled water) for 1 minute and then placed in breadcrumbs. After preparation, the samples were fried in an automatic fryer at a controllable temperature of 140 C for 6, 8, and 10 minutes, then the samples were cooled to room temperature for 10 minutes and tested for physicochemical properties. The tests included coating, weight loss, moisture content according to the standard AACC method, adsorption of oil by standard method AOAC, tissue measurement test based on the stiffness of the chicken tissue cutting (catching test), and color analysis of chicken samples using CIE Lab colorimetric system through the determination of color characteristics were performed.

The results showed that the coated samples increased the absorption of the coating glaze due to the increasethe viscosity and thus the absorption of baking powder compared to the non-coated sample. The coating with hydrochloric materials based on barrier properties through strong hydrogen bonds between water molecules forms a gel layer with a high water holding capacity that prevents moisture from escaping. This subsequently reduces weight loss. Moreover, due to the inverse relationship between water and oil content, oil absorption was significantly decreased (p<0.01). Among the studied coatings, the highest moisture retention rate and the lowest oil absorption rate are related to the coated sample with 4.5% aloe vera and 7.5% WPC. As the concentration of aloe vera increased, the hardness of the samples decreased, which may depends on the effect of the meat protein to polysaccharide ratio. As the concentration of WPC increased, the stiffness of the samples increased, increasing the sulfhydryl groups, increasing the disulfide bonds in the meat's myofibrillar protein, and thus increasing the tissue stiffness. Increasing the frying time reduced the moisture and increased the oil absorption, weight loss, and stiffness of the samples. The coating reduces brightness due to the presence of various phenolic pigments, especially light- and heat-sensitive anthraquinones in aloe vera and lactose in WPC, and Maillard's reaction at high processing temperatures, resulting in increased browning index and darkening with increasing product color time. This is correlated with the Maillard reaction. Coating with aloe vera gel and WPC is effective in improving the physicochemical properties of fried chicken.

In recent years, Identification of Aloe Vera's health properties has led to an increase in researchers' attention to its potential for enriching food products. The aim of this study was to produce a functional orange beverage enriched with Aloe Vera gel. The effect of different concentrations of Aloe Vera gel (20, 25, 30 and 40%) on antioxidant properties (DPPH radical scavenging activity, phenolic and flavonoid compounds and ascorbic acid) and physicochemical properties of beverage (acidity, pH, brix, moisture, ash and viscosity) were evaluated. The results showed that by increasing the concentration of Aloe Vera gel in the formulation, the antioxidant properties of the beverage increased, so as the concentration of Aloe Vera increased from 20 to 40%, the DPPH radical scavenging activity increased from 42.79% to 65.26%. the amount of phenolic and flavonoid compounds and ascorbic acid content of sample containing 40% Aloe Vera was 69.66, 6.93 (mg/ml) and 77.1 (mg/100ml), respectively. The amount of these compounds in all samples decreased significantly after pasteurization. The results of physicochemical tests showed that by increasing the concentration of Aloe Vera gel, the amount of acidity, brix, viscosity and color brightness index of the samples increased and pH decreased, significantly. The sensory evaluation results showed that the sample contained 30% Aloe Vera gel showed the highest overall acceptability. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Aloe Vera gel with its antioxidant properties can be used successfully in the production of functional beverages.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of microencapsulation of probiotic bacteria with sodium alginate/resistant starch and sodium alginate/chitosan by extrusion method on qualitative and rheological properties and viability of bifidobactrium animalis subs lactis in Aloe vera doogh. 10% of aloe vera gel with different concentrations of whey (5, 10 and 15%) and inulin (0.5, 1 and 1.5%) added to probiotic doogh and their effect on the protection of Probiotic bacteria and qualitative properties were evaluated. The results showed that increasing the level of inulin had no significant effect on pH. Increasing the percentage of whey up to 5% had no significant effect on the pH, but increasing more than 5% significantly decreased the pH of the doogh samples during storage period. In terms of sensory properties samples containing 1% inulin and microencapsulated bacteria with sodium alginate/chitosan had highest scores in flavour while lowest score was observed in control treatment (without inulin and whey) and free bacteria. Doogh samples containing 1.5% inulin had the lowest serum separation and the control sample (without inulin and whey) showed the highest serum separation at the end of storage period. In general, samples containing microcapsules had a lower serum separation than samples containing free bacteria. The highest viscosity and consistency coefficients were observed in the doogh samples containing 1.5% inulin. The microencapsulation process increased the apparent viscosity, consistency index and loss modulus and decreased the flow behavior index of the doogh samples. Microencapsulation of probiotic bacteria by sodium alginate / resistant starch and chitosan and use of whey and inulin in doogh samples increased their viability during storage period.

Yogurt is a fermented dairy product, which is a popular product throughout the world and has positive effects on public health, due to its nutritional properties. Aloe vera extract is a kind of vegetable derivative, which has high nutritional value and antibacterial properties. In this research the effects of Aloe vera extract (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2% w/w) addition on the textural (syneresis), chemical (pH, acidity), viability of yoghurt probiotic microorganisms, yeast and mold, antioxidant properties and sensorial attributes of stirred probiotic yogurts were investigated during the shelf life (1st, 7th, 14th and 21thday of production). The results showed addition of Aloe vera extract decreased the pH value and increased acidity but decreased syneresis. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus viability increased with Aloe Vera extract addition but yeast and mold counts decreased. The addition of Aloe vera extract increased antioxidant properties of yoghurt. Sensorial analysis indicated that panelists preferred yogurt samples with low Aloe vera extract rates. However, higher rates of Aloe vera extract affected the flavor and overall acceptability and lowered their panelist scores. During time, pH decreased and acidity and syneresis increased. Overall, it was concluded that the best treatment from all aspects, was 0.5% Aloe vera extract.

The Mazafati date is one of the most important export products of Kerman province, which their quality characteristics may change during storage. The use of edible coatings is a new technique for increasing the shelf life of various agricultural products. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Aloe vera containing salicylic acid (2 mM) and green tea extract (0.5%) on physicochemical, microbial and sensory properties of stored dates at 4 and 25 °C for 150 days. The results of analysis of variance showed that the coating, temperature and time of storage had significant effects on the evaluated parameters (p <0.05). According to the results, the lowest weight loss was observed in samples coated with Aloe vera containing green tea extract and salicylic acid. This type of coating prevented significant changes in pH, acidity, total soluble solids (°brix), total and reducing sugar contents of date samples compared to the control during the storage period. During the storage period, the pH and total sugar content decreased, and acidity, total soluble solids and reducing sugar content increased. Total phenolic content did not have a clear trend during the storage period and its amount in the coated samples was significantly higher than the control. Aloe vera containing green tea extract and salicylic acid also effectively prevented microbial growth. In addition, panelists gave higher scores to dates coated with Aloe vera containing green tea extract and salicylic acid. The changes in physicochemical, microbial and sensory parameters in the stored dates at 25 °C were significantly higher than that stored at the temperature of 4 °C. In general, the use of Aloe vera containing green tea extract and salicylic acid, and storage at 4 °C is recommended due to the reduction of microbial growth and maintaining the quality characteristics of Mazafati date.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Aloe vera gel (50 and 100% w / w), salicylic acid (0 and 2 mM) and thyme extract (0, 0.1 and 0.5% v / v) on shelf life of fresh pistachios. Disk diffusion test was done in a completely randomized design and the percentage of Aspergillus development, microbial count, sensory evaluation and color tests were assessed in a factorial based on a completely randomized design. The results showed that the mold growth development (in disk diffusion test) and total counts of mold, yeast and aerobic mesophilic bacteria were lower in the samples containing Aloe vera gel, salicylic acid and thyme extract. Also, the highest score and color parameters in color and sensory evaluation tests were found for the samples with above mentioned coating, which had a significant difference with the control (P <0.05). Control and treatment with Aloe vera gel of 50% concentration (a) were identified as the worst coatings, and Aloe vera gel coating containing thyme extract and salicylic acid at high concentrations (AST) were found to be the best treatment with the ability to improve the shelf life of fresh pistachios.

The effect of edible polysaccharide coating of Aloe vera and a packaging on physicochemical and biological properties of barberries during storage was examined. Barberries were treated with edible polysaccharide coating through immersion method and packaged under 0, 6 and 21% of oxygen concentration and maintained at 20 ºC for 12 weeks. During storage, moisture content, anthocyanin, color components and microbial characteristics were evaluated. The results showed that the effect of Aloe vera coating and packaging type on physicochemical and biological characteristics of barberries could be noticeable during storage time. Coating and packaging would reduce moisture loss, anthocyanin, brightness and redness. The number of aerobic microorganisms and amounts of mold and yeast in the samples treated with edible coating and packaging showed to be less than the control group during storage. Lastly, the results showed that coating with 10% of Aloe vera and vacuum packaging would further maintain color and anthocyanin, the main components of barberries.

Carbohydrate-based fat substitutes used in confectionary products like cake. In this study, different percentages of Aloe Vera gel powder (5.7, 11.25, and 13.125%) were used as fat substitute functionaldiet cake.Some physicochemical properties (moisture, pH, hardness, weight loss, volume and calories), sensory (flavor, color, texture, overall acceptance) and microbial characteristics (total count of mold and yeast) of cake were studied. The results of the tests showed that the moisture content of the manufactured cakes increased and the hardness, weight loss, pH and calorie values were significantly decreased compared to the control sample (P<0.05). The growth of mold and yeast in the treatments containing Aloe Vera gel powder (5.7 and 11.25%) was significantly lower than the control sample.use of Aloe Vera gel powder resulted in a significant reduction in cake volume compared to the control sample (P<0.05). The results of sensory evaluation indicated that adding aloe vera gel powder caused a significant reduction in the color of the samples compared to the control sample and the texture characteristics improved from the point of view of the evaluators compared to the control sample (p <0.05).Overall, the results showed that by adding a 7.5% aloe vera gel powder as an alternative, the amount of fat used in the cake formulation could be reduced without causing a fundamental change in the product characteristics.

The current study was carried out to investigate the kinetics of infusion of phenolic compounds extracted from grape pomace (Argol) into Aloe vera gel cylinders. Aloe vera gel was treated at 50 °C in different osmotic solution with (40, 50 and 60) % sucrose plus (10, 20 and 30) % Argol, for 0–120 min. The fruit to solution ratio was kept 1:4 (w/w) during all experiments. A two parameters model was used for prediction of kinetics of mass transfer and values of equilibrium moisture loss and solid gain. Moisture and solid effective diffusivities were estimated using Fick’s second law of diffusion. Results showed that Azuara model has the potential for estimating the equilibrium points. In addition, a good correlation between predicted and experimental values were obtained by this model. Besides, moisture and solid effective diffusivities increased by increasing sucrose solution and Argol from 40 to 50 percentage and 10 to 20 percentages, respectively. Moisture and solid diffusivities were found in the range of 0.61–4.23×10−9 m2/s and 2.13 –2.77 × 10−9 m2/s, respectively. Functional food is an emerging field in food science due to its increasing popularity with health-conscious consumers and the ability of marketers to create new interest in existing products. New by-product application should be investigated to have a positive environmental impact or to turn them into useful products. The use of by-product such as the grape juice pomace (Argol), results in the return of these valuable sources into the food cycle as well as an improvement in nutritional value and functional products in the food industry. Red grape (Vitis vinifera L.) pomace contains a large amount of polyphenolic compounds, therefore extraction of bioactive compounds promote human health. It is not as easy to mix the functional ingredient in the solid system as it is, in the case of the powder and liquid products. With the help of osmotic dehydration, many researchers have demonstrated the infusion of active compounds such as mineral, phenolic compounds, curcuminoids, probiotics and vitamins into solid food tissue. Fruits such as aloe vera, which have a short shelf life and are suitable system models for infusion of phenolic compounds during osmotic dehydration. Osmotic dehydration can prove useful in drying aloe vera (Aloe Barbadensis Miller) which contains several nutritional compounds, including polysaccharides, phenolics, antioxidants, vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and so forth. The phenomenon of osmotic dehydration can be modeled by the fundamentals of mass transfer that describe the origin of the diffusive forces that are involved in and control these processes. A two-parameter equation of Azuara was used to predict the kinetics of osmotic dehydration and the final equilibrium point. The internal mass transfer occurring during osmotic dehydration of food is usually represented by Fick’s second law which is the best known phenomenological model to represent the diffusional mechanism is the model of Crank, consisting of a set of solutions of Fick’s law of diffusion for different geometries, boundary conditions and initial conditions. To date, there is no research on mass transfer during osmotic dehydration of aloe vera. Therefore, the objective of the present work was the infusion of Argol phenolic compounds in alo vera gel through osmotic dehydration treatment to investigate mass transfer during osmotic treatment. Material and methods: The Aloe Vera was added to agar and shaped into cylindrical pieces (20×20 mm). Afterwards the pieces were floated in a solution of sugar (40, 50 and 60) percentage and Argol (10, 20 and 30) percentage. The weight ratio of osmotic medium to fruit sample was 4:1 to avoid significant dilution of the medium and subsequent decrease of the driving force during the process. The experiment was performed with constant temperature of 50 °C. Samples were removed from the solution at 30, 60, 90, 180, and 120 min of immersion, drained and the excess of solution at the surface was removed with absorbent paper. Afterward, the dehydrated samples from each group were drained and blotted with absorbent paper to remove excess solution. Each assay was made in triplicate. Weight and moisture content of the samples, and moisture loss (ML) and solid gain (SG) were calculated. The curves of moisture loss and salt gain as a function of time were constructed using experimental data. A two parameters model was used for prediction of kinetics of mass transfer and values of equilibrium moisture loss and solid gain. Moisture and solid effective diffusivities were estimated by using Fick’s second law of diffusion. Results showed that in all of the studied conditions, the levels of moisture loss and solid gain had a non-linear increase with more floatation time in the solution. Moreover, the absorption rate of solid gain was faster in the beginning but eventually slowed down. Azuara model has the potential in estimating the equilibrium points. In addition, a good correlation between predicted and experimental values was obtained by this model. Besides, increasing the concentration of sucrose and Argol from 40% to 50% and 10% to 20% respectively, the coefficient of effective penetration for both parameters (water loss and solid substance absorption) improved. In addition, the coefficient of effective penetration displayed that different levels of sucrose and Argol had a notable effect on this coefficient.

In this research, the effect of composite edible coatings, composed of alginate (in the concentration range 0- 2.5 % w/v), aloe vera gel (0- 1 % w/v) and zedo gum (0.5- 4 % w/v) with constant values of ascorbic acid and citric acid as anti-browning agents (each at a concentration 1 % w/v), calcium chloride as crosslinking agent (2 % w/v) and glycerol as plasticizer (8 % w/v) on quality indices of semi humid fig fruits was investigated during 4 months of storage. To study the influence of three mixture factor and a continuous factor (storage time), on physicochemical parameters such as moisture content, total soluble solids, the parameters of color, texture, antioxidant activity and total phenol, polyphenol oxidase activitiy and sensory tests, a combined design was used. Regarding maximum storage time and quality attributies, optimal composition of edible coatings obtained as follows: 2.188 % w/v alginate, 0 % w/v Aloe vera and 1.812 % w/v zedo gum. Optimal composition for storage time in the range of 90-120 days determined as follows: 0 % w/v alginate, 1 % w/v Aloe vera and 3 % w/v zedo gum. Generally, the optimization of edible coating revealed the ability of aloe vera gel and zedo gum to preservation quality characteristics of semi humid fig fruits.

This Research was to investigate the antibacterial effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Aloe Vera on pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC25923), Escherichia coli (ATCC25922), Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC33090) using disk diffusion and broth Microdilution methods. The results illustrated that gram-positive bacteria are more sensitive to ethanolic extract of Aloe Vera as compared with gram-negatives bacteria. This phenomenon is due to the structure and the strength of cell wall in gram-negative bacteria as well as the nature and active compounds of Aloe Vera. Ethanolic extract of Aloe Vera showed that the maximum antibacterial activity on Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes in whichthe minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 0.132 and 0.625 mg/ml respectively. The maximum inhibition zone was observed on Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes with 12 and 8 mm respectively. On the other hand, aqueous extract of Aloe Vera did not show any antibacterial activity. It is supposed that antibacterial compounds such as Anthraquinone, Hydroxyanthra and Saponin had the most roles for antibacterial activity in ethanolic extract on Aloe Vera.