Effect of <i>Lactobacillus acidophilus</i> on the physicochemical and sensory properties of Aloe vera

Abstract

Nowadays, in many developed societies, consumer health awareness towards the role of food in human health and nutrition has been considerably increased. Regarding the biological role of food components on human health, consumers are interested in consuming food products with an improved functionality. Non-dairy probiotic drinks are considered as functional foods. The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of development of Aloe vera drink bearing probiotic <em>Lactobacillus acidophilus</em>. Therefore, the growth and survival of these bacteria were investigated during 12 days at two temperatures of 4 and 25 °C. The acidity, total sugar and pH of the drink samples were measured at days 1, 6 and 12. The growth of <em>Lactobacillus acidophilus</em> in the drinks maintained at 25 °C was considerably better compared to the sample kept at 4 °C. <em>Lactobacillus acidophilus</em> increased the acidity during cold storage (p < 0.05) and less sugar intake occurred at this condition. Addition of <em>Lactobacillus acidophilus</em> to Aloe vera did not have a negative effect on its sensory properties and people who were willing to use probiotic Aloe vera. The results of this study showed that beverage, is a suitable medium for producing a probiotic drink containing an acceptable level of <em>Lactobacillus acidophilus</em> and preferred by consumers in terms of sensory evaluation.