Investigation of the effect of Aloe vera gel coating on the quality characteristics of grapes during storage

Grapes are among the garden products that are consumed fresh or processed in the country. Although this product can be among the largest export items after pistachios and dates, but its short storage life and high waste reduce economic productivity. In order to increase the shelf life of this product, an experiment was conducted on the method of covering grapefruit with Aloe vera gel. For this purpose, the effect of Aloe vera gel (5, 10 and 20%) on the quality characteristics of grapefruit (including soluble solids, fruit pH, anthocyanin, vitamin C, catalase and peroxidase activity) during 50 days of refrigeration ( 2° C and 90% relative humidity) were examined. The results showed that the different traits measured in fruits coated with Aloe vera gel were significantly different from the control. Soluble solids in grapefruit with 10% coverage with Aloe vera gel had the highest increase. The highest amount of vitamin C was observed at a concentration of 5% for 5 days. The lowest reduction of anthocyanin and the lowest loss of organic acids was observed at a concentration of 20%. Concentration of 20% Aloe vera gel resulted in the lowest amount of vitamin C reduction during storage. Catalase and peroxidase had the highest increase in 10% concentration of Aloe vera gel at 20 days. The best time to store fruit was 50 days with Aloe vera gel coating.