Effect of Aloe vera gel coating on organoleptic and nutritional quality of minimally processed carrot.

Demand for fresh vegetables has led to development studies in postharvest area mainly focused on minimizing and look for alternatives to chemical additives for food preservation. The use of natural derived edible coatings emerges as a promising alternative for maintaining quality of vegetables. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Aloe vera gel in minimally processed carrot during postharvest storage. Samples with different degrees of processing were immersed in Aloe vera gel, packaged polyolefin bags, and stored in refrigerated chambers at 5 °C for 12 days. Different organoleptic and quality parameters were evaluated. In general, the samples treated with Aloe vera gel showed less quality loss and a lower increment in the bleaching index. Moreover, sensory analysis allowed to establish that carrots processed in slices and shredded and coated with the gel had a more flavorful taste and higher moisture content. Aloe vera treatment did not influence the microbiological growth of bacteria and fungi during storage. Regarding nutritional quality, the treated samples showed a higher accumulation or lower degradation of phenols, flavonoids, and carotenoids, probably generating in this way, a higher antioxidant capacity in these samples. Finally, Aloe vera gel treatment did not influence sugar dynamics in any of the samples. It can be concluded that the treatment with Aloe vera gel allows maintaining a better organoleptic and nutritional quality of carrots with different degrees of processing during refrigerated storage.

Nutritional and eating quality of Argentinean beef: A review.

This review deals with distinctive aspects of quality of Argentinean beef in terms of tenderness, flavour, colour, juiciness, taste, acceptability, lipid content and composition and its resultant nutraceutical characteristics. Differences are due to beef production systems based on temperate or tropical grasslands aimed at shortening the fattening phase as far as possible, with limited or null use of concentrates. However, the effect of limited supplemental feeding is also discussed as well as the responses arising from the use of beef cattle genotypes, including British, Continental, Dairy, Zebu breeds and their crosses, adapted to the various environments and systems found in the country.