Resumen de Recubrimientos de Aloe vera mejoran la calidad de arilos de granada cv Mollar de Elche mínimamente procesados

Domingo Martínez Romero, Pedro Javier Zapata Coll, Huertas María Díaz Mula, María Serrano Mula, Salvador Castillo García, Daniel Valero Garrido, Juan Miguel Valverde Varacruz, Antonio Fabián Guillén Arco

• The organoleptic quality of 'Mollar de Fiche' pomegranate very appreciated by consumers, pomegranate fruit shows tedious job for peeling at home, For this reason, it is necessary offering to consumers ready-to-cat arils for consumption. In this work, a treatment based on Aloe vera gel plus 0.5% citric acid and 0,5% ascorbic acid while 0,5% citric acid and 0,5% ascorbic acid served as control, Treatments were performed by dipping the arils in the solutions for 10 minutes, then drained and packed (100 g) in 280 mL polypropylene pots. Packages were stored at 3-4 degrees C for 17 days, and analytical determinations (sensory analysis, microbial counts, gas composition and analysis of quality attributes) were made after 0, 3, 7, 10 14 and 17 days, For both treatments, CO2 and O2 concentrations were 3 and 9 kPa, respectively, at the end of the experiment. After opening the packages, panelists gave the highest scores for those samples treated with Aloe vera plus citric acid and ascorbic acid. In addition, maintenance of quality parameters was higher in these samples based on firmness and colour. Microbiologically, arils treated with Aloe vera plus citric acid and ascorbic acid showed the lowest counts in both yeast and moulds and mesophilic aerobics. Overall, the addition of Aloe vera plus citric acid and ascorbic acid could be a good and innovative treatment for maintaining ready-to-eat aril quality.