Physical and Chemical Properties and Preference Levels of Aloe Vera Gel (Aloe Vera L) with Variations in Citric Acid Concentration and Soaking Time
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33830/fsj.v5i2.14520.2025Abstract
Aloe vera contains high levels of antioxidants and offers significant health benefits; however, its consumption remains limited due to the presence of aloin, which imparts a bitter taste, an off-odor, and a slimy texture. Soaking the gel in citric acid serves as a chelating agent to dissolve aloin and inhibit browning, although high concentrations risk softening the gel texture. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of citric acid concentration and soaking duration on the physicochemical properties and overall sensory acceptability of Aloe vera gel products. The processing stages encompassed sorting, peeling, cutting, preliminary washing, soaking in a citric acid solution, and final washing. The resulting Aloe vera gels were evaluated for texture, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, pectin content, antioxidant activity, and hedonic acceptability. Furthermore, functional groups were identified using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The experiment was conducted using a randomized block design with a factorial arrangement consisting of two factors, three analytical replicates, and two treatment batches. The primary factor was citric acid concentration (1, 2, and 3%), and the secondary factor was soaking duration (8, 10, and 12 hours). The results demonstrated that higher citric acid concentrations and prolonged soaking durations significantly increased the phenolic content, pectin content, and antioxidant activity. However, treatments utilizing 3% citric acid with soaking durations exceeding 10 hours resulted in a significantly softer gel texture. The optimal product was achieved by soaking the Aloe vera gel in a 3% citric acid solution for 8 hours. This treatment yielded a hardness value of 29.68 N, a total phenolic content of 85.58 mg GAE/100g, a total flavonoid content of 30.33 mg QE/100g, a pectin content of 2.49%, a DPPH radical scavenging activity of 7.03%, and an overall acceptability score of 5.47. Additionally, FTIR analysis revealed an optimal acemannan peak at 1105.46 cm⁻¹.
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