ANSWER
Aloe vera gel is a plant-based coating material for protective layer on the product with desirable barrier and mechanical properties (Abbasi, et al., 2015). It helps to prevent loss of moisture and firmness and preserve the colour of fresh-cut ingredients since oxidation and enzymatic browning take place quickly upon contact with oxygen, leading to discolouration (Lin & Zhao, 2007). These technological advantages allow the treated ingredients to be preserved well in their sensorial quality before undergoing further processing in chip production. The feasibility of producing chips with lower caloric value and higher sensory quality is considerable as well if the raw ingredients are pre-treated with aloe vera gel to reduce oil uptake during processing.
Potato chips are unhealthy snacks loaded with oily fats, carbs and cholesterol. From the study of Abbasi, et al. (2015), aloe vera gel is found effective to maintain moderate moisture retention and lower oil contents in the processed potato chips and retain appreciable colour and textural qualities in the end product with 10% and 20% gel produced. The application of aloe vera gel as a hydrocolloid compound has been also reported to reduce oil uptake of kiwi chips during deep fat frying (Mokhtarian &Tavakolipour, 2014). For apple chips, aloe vera gel may help to preserve the quality of fresh-cut apples in terms of delayed browning and reduced weight loss and softening, and minimal microbial spoilage through pre-treatment before drying or frying (Song, et al., 2013). Therefore, chips made from these treated apples may have well-preserved colour for good sensory perception.
The fresh mushrooms coated with aloe vera gel have been reported a delayed deterioration of appearance, weight loss, colour and textural changes although mushrooms are naturally high in water content that makes them prone to microbial spoilage and enzymatic browning (Mohebbi, et al., 2012). As such, aloe vera gel coated mushrooms may have the potential to preserve the sensory qualities when made into chips. Chrysargyris, et al. (2016) and Athmaselvi, et al. (2013) further reassure the successful application of aloe vera coating onto tomatoes, which has maintained the overall quality in respect to fruit firmness and colour. This makes it an attractive technique to produce tomato chips with appealing redness even after dehydration. For other fruit-based chips made from fruits such as nectarine (Navarro, et al., 2011) and papaya (Marpudi, et al., 2011), similar phenomenon have been observed in these fruits as described previously, in which the textural firmness is maintained without loss of weight and juiciness with applied aloe vera coating.
References
Abbasi, K.S., Masud, T., et al., (2015). Quality of Potato Chips as Influenced by Aloe Vera Coating. Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, 3(3), 157-161. https://doi.org/10.12691/jfnr-3-3-5
Athmaselvi, K. A., Sumitha, P., & Revathy, B. (2013). Development of Aloe vera based edible coating for tomato. International Agrophysics, 27(4), 369-375
Chrysargyris, A., Nikou, A. & Tzortzakis, M. (2016). Effectiveness of Aloe Vera Gel Coating for Maintaining Tomato Fruit Quality. New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 44(3), 203-217.
Lin, D. & Zhao, Y.Y. (2007). Innovations in the Development and Application of Edible Coatings for Fresh and Minimally Processed Fruits and Vegetables. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 6(3), 60-75.
Marpudi, S.L, Abirami, L.S.S., et al., (2011) Enhancement of Storage Life and Quality Maintenance of Papaya Fruits Using Aloe Vera Based Antimicrobial Coating. Indian Journal of Biotechnology, 10(1), 83-89.
Mohebbi, M., Ansarifar, E., et al., (2012). Suitability of Aloe Vera and Gum Tragacanth as Edible Coatings for Extending the Shelf Life of Button Mushroom. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 5(8), 3193-3202.
Mokhtarian, M. &Tavakolipour, H. (2014). Production of Low-Fat Kiwi Chips with Aloe Vera Gel and Determination of the Mass Transfer Profile in Deep Fat Frying. Iranian Journal of Nutrition Sciences & Food Technology, 9(2), 95-104.
Navarro, D., Díaz-Mula, H. M., Guillén, F., Zapata, P. J., Castillo, S., Serrano, M., Valero, D., & Martínez-Romero, D. (2011). Reduction of nectarine decay caused by Rhizopus stolonifer, Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium digitatum with Aloe vera gel alone or with the addition of thymol. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 151(2), 241-246.
Song, H.Y., Jo, W.S., et al., (2013). Quality Change of Apple Slices Coated with Aloe Vera Gel during Storage. Journal of Food Science, 78(6), C817-C822.
