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Article history:
Received 3 November 2013
Received in revised form
1 July 2014
Accepted 30 July 2014
Available online 12 August 2014
Native populations of raspberry fruits (Rubus spp.) were coated with Aloe vera gel and were then assayed
for the antioxidant capacity, total anthocyanin, total phenol, antioxidant enzyme activities and postharvest quality after 8 days storage at 4 C, relative to a control group. These berries, coated with Aloe
vera gel, showed a higher antioxidant capacity, total anthocyanin and total phenol than those of the
controls (non-treated) group. The treated fruits exhibited less incidence of decay during storage at 4 C
than the control group. Thus postharvest life (as affected by fungal decay) was longer for berries treated
with Aloe vera gel than for the control fruit. However, total soluble solid, titratable acidity and pH were
predominantly inuenced by storage periods. Aloe vera gel treatments could reduce the natural decay
that happens over time. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, including glutathione peroxidase (GSHPOD), glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (AsA-POD) and
guaiacol peroxidase (G-POD) were enhanced. The nonenzyme components such as reduced glutathione
(GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were also increased by Aloe vera gel. In conclusion, raspberry
fruits treated with Aloe vera gel maintained higher levels of antioxidant capacity, total phenol, total
anthocyanin and antioxidant enzymes during storage periods.
2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords:
Postharvest life
Raspberry
Total anthocyanin
Total phenol
1. Introduction
Berry fruit, including raspberries, have been reported to contain
high phenol and anthocyanin content (Heinonen, Lehtonen, &
Hopia, 1998). Native raspberry (Rubus spp.) constitutes a good
source of natural antioxidant substances. Thus, various antioxidants found in berry fruit provide signicant health benets. Interest in the role of antioxidants in human health has promoted
research in the field of horticulture and food science to evaluate
vegetable and fruit antioxidants and to measure how their content
and activity can be maintained or even improved through breeding,
cultural practices, and postharvest handling and processing (AyalaZavala, Wang, Wang, & Gonzalez-Aguilar, 2004). It is great interest
to investigate changes in antioxidant status during postharvest
storage of horticultural crops. Raspberry fruit is very valuable
nutritious, but because of being naturally highly perishable, the
storage time is restricted to just very short periods. To obtain the
optimum avor, shape and color, the berries should be harvested
for fresh consumption at a mature phase (Haffner, Rosenfeld,
Skrede, & Wang, 2002).
For centuries, Aloe vera has been used for its medicinal and
therapeutic properties (Eshun & He, 2005). The two major liquid
sources of Aloe vera are a yellow latex (exudates) and clear gel
(mucilage), both of which proceed from the large leaf parenchymatic cells (Ni, Turner, Yates, & Tizard, 2004). The oral ingestion
of the Aloe vera gel juice has been shown to be effective in treating
ulcerous, gastrointestinal, kidney and cardiovascular problems, in
addition has also been used to diminish the cholesterol and triglyceride levels in blood (Reynolds & Dweck, 1999). In addition,
anti-inammatory and antibiotic actions have been reported, as
well as intervention in the treatment of certain diseases (diabetes,
cancer, allergy, AIDS) (Eshun & He, 2005; Reynolds & Dweck, 1999).
Edible coatings are traditionally used to improve food appearance and conservation due to their environmentally friendly nature, since they are obtained from both animal and vegetable
agricultural products (Petersen et al., 1999). Generally, coatings can
be classied according to their nature, into protein, lipid, and
polysaccharide-based, alone or in combination. They act as barriers
to moisture and oxygen during processing, handling, and storage,
and not only retard food deterioration, but also improve safety, due
to their natural biocide activity or to the incorporation of antimicrobial compounds (Cha & Chinnan, 2004). The Aloe vera gel was
able to prolong the shelf life (SL) of sweet cherry and table grapes
through a delay in the parameters related to deterioration from the
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via a spectrophotometer. GR enzyme activity was assayed according to Smith, Vierheller, and Thorne (1988) at 340 nm. The reaction
was started by adding GSSG (oxidized glutathione) and the rate of
oxidation was calculated using the extinction coefcient of NADPH
(6.22 mM1 cm1).
2.7.2. Superoxide dismutase (SOD)
Fruit tissue (4 g) was pulverized in a cold mortar and pestle with
4 ml potassium phosphate buffer (0.1 mol L1, pH 7.4) containing
1 mmol L1 EDTA and 2 mmol L1 DTT. The homogenate was
filtered through four layers of miracloth and centrifuged at
12,000 g for 10 min at 4 C. The supernatant was used for
assaying the SOD enzyme activity. Total SOD enzyme activity was
assayed photochemically (Monk, Fagerstedt, & Crawford, 1987;
Thayer, 1990). One unit of SOD was expressed as the amount of
enzyme, which produced a 50% inhibition of NBT reduction under
assay conditions.
2.7.3. Ascorbate peroxidase (ASA-POD) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPOD)
Fruit tissue (4 g) was ground in a cold mortar and pestle with
4 ml potassium-phosphate buffer (0.1 mol L1, pH 7.3) containing
1 mmol L1 EDTA and 2 mmol L1 DTT. The homogenate was
centrifuged at 12,000 g for 10 min at 4 C. The supernatant was
used for the AsA-POD, and G-POD assays. AsA-POD activity was
measured according to the method of Amako, Chen, and Asada
(1994). The reaction was started via adding H2O2. The G-POD
enzyme assay mixture containing 0.1 mol L1 phosphate buffer (pH
6.1), 4 mmol L1 guaiacol as donor, 3 mmol L1 H2O2 as substrate
and 1.0 ml crude enzyme extract. The total reaction volume was
3.0 ml. The rate of change in absorbance at 420 nm was measured,
and the level of enzyme activity was expressed as the difference in
absorbance (OD).
2.8. Non-enzyme component measurements
2.8.1. Glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG)
Raspberry fruit samples (4 g) were homogenized in 8.0 ml ice
cold, degassed 7.57 mM sodium ascorbate solution with cold
mortar and pestle under N2 at 0 C. The homogenate was filtered
through four layers of miracloth and centrifuged at 30,000 g for
15 min at 0 C. The supernatant was deproteined by incubation in a
water bath at 100 C for 3 min and then centrifuged at 15,000 g
for 15 min at 0 C. The supernatants were used for the GSH and
GSSG assays. GSH and GSSG enzyme were assayed using the
method of Castillo and Greppin (1988). GSSG was calculated by
subtraction of GSH from total glutathione.
2.9. Statistical analysis
Experiments were performed according to a factorial design.
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of data was performed in this
experiment using the Statistical Analysis System (Software Version
9.1 SAS). In the case of a significant F-value, the means were
compared by Duncan's Multiple Range test at p < 0.01 significance
level in SAS.
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of the control fruits after 8 days storage at 4 C (Table 1). The decay
incidence was reduced in the treated fruit, during storage at 4 C,
compared to the control, and no difference was found between
different gel levels. Overall, the higher rate of fruits decay was
found in untreated raspberry (control) compared with those
treated with Aloe vera gel. The antifungal activity of Aloe vera has
been reported against postharvest fruit pathogens, such as Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium expansum, Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata and was based on the suppression of germination
and the inhibition of mycelial growth (Serrano et al., 2006).
In addition, the inhibitory effects of Aloe vera gel have been also
found in Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium herbarum and Fusarium
moniliforme (Ali, Shalaby, Elgamai, & Mousa, 1999), although the
specific mechanism of action is still unknown. Moreover, the
reduction of the growth of 17 bacteria by A. vera gel has been
proven (Reynolds & Dweck, 1999). Some individual components
found in A. vera gel, such as saponins, acemannan and anthraquinones derivatives, are known to have antibiotic activity, and could
be responsible for its antibacterial activity (Serrano et al., 2006).
3.2. Total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH and ascorbic acid
content
The TSS, TA and ascorbic acid levels in raspberry fruits decreased
in all treatments after 8 days of storage (Table 1). Compared with
the control samples, the Aloe treated fruits had higher TSS, TA and
ascorbic acid levels, and the difference was significant (p < 0.01).
Depletion of TSS in the fruit could be explained by a high metabolism of the fruits and senescence processes. Martnez-Romero
et al. (2006) observed that sweet cherry fruits treated with Aloe
vera gel maintained higher levels of TSS. The results obtain in this
study are in agreement with their results (Table 1). Organic acids of
fruit are substrates that are consumed by respiration during storage
(Ancos, Gonzalez, & PilarCano, 1999). At harvest, fruits had the
highest titratable acidity but, its content gradually decreased. The
declining of TSS and TA resulted in decreasing TSS to TA ratio
(Table 1). Titratable acidity of berries treated with Aloe vera gel had
not signicant difference with untreated fruits after 8 days of
storage (Table 1). Thus, at the end of storage, no signicant differences were observed among the treatments, and this is in agreement with results of Serrano et al. (2006). The change in pH of
raspberry fruits is shown in Table 1. In general, the pH of raspberry
fruits increased after 8 days of storage, while no signicant differences were observed between coated and uncoated samples.
Ascorbic acid is primarily regulated by ascorbic acid oxidase and
phenoloxidase, whose activities are inuenced by the oxygen
contents in the storage condition (Zhou et al., 2008). In this study, A.
vera coating was more effective in the retention of TSS, TA and
ascorbic acid levels because of the lowest gas permeability of A. vera
coating that inhibited the respiratory rates and retarded the overall
Table 1
Effect of different Aloe vera gel treatment on the quality attributes of raspberry
(Rubus spp.) initially and at the end of the cold storage period at 4 C.
Treatments
Decay (%)
TSS (%)
TA (%)
TSS/TA
pH
ASA
(mg/100 g FW)
7.93a
2.16a
3.67b
3.46b
108.1a
6.7b
7.22a
7.13a
7.17a
1.19b
1.29b
1.25b
1.20b
5.63a
5.59a
5.70a
5.98a
3.84a
3.86a
3.75a
3.78a
At harvest
0.0c
After 8 days of storage
control
22.54a
25% A. vera 13.96b
50% A. vera 10.55b
75% A. vera 10.55b
63.56c
85.56b
79.52b
81.25b
Values within a column followed by the same letter are not signicantly different at
p 0.05 (Duncan's Multiple Range test).
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Fig. 1. Total anthocyanins (A), Total phenolics (B) and Antioxidant capacity (C) values
in raspberry fruit treated with Aloe gel and stored for 8 days at 4 C. Gel 1: 0% Aloe vera
(control); gel 2: 25% Aloe vera; gel 3: 50% Aloe vera; gel 4: 75% Aloe vera. Vertical bars
represent standard error.
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Fig. 2. PAL enzyme activity in raspberry fruits treated with Aloe gel and stored for 8
days at 4 C. Gel 1: 0% Aloe vera (control); gel 2: 25% Aloe vera; gel 3: 50% Aloe vera; gel
4: 75% Aloe vera. Vertical bars represent standard error.
8 days' storage, samples from the control treatment had the lowest
GSH-POD and GR activities. In this study, both GR and GSH-POD
activities reduced in raspberry fruits stored for 8 days. GR
enzyme activity rst increased during the storage period, and then
reduced after 8 days of storage. 50% Aloe vera gel had the highest GR
activity. GR is a ubiquitous NADPH dependent enzyme. It adds
hydrogen ion to the oxidized glutathione to regenerate reduced
glutathione. In contrast, GSH-POD activity reduced during the
storage period. This enzyme utilizes reduced glutathione to eliminate hydrogen peroxide and convert it to harmless water. The activity of GSH-POD is dependent on the availability of the reduced
ascorbate and GSH that are maintained by enzymes, such as GR
using NADPH as an electron donor (Roxas, Lodhi, Garrett, Mohan, &
Allen, 2000).
3.7.2. Superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1)
SOD enzyme activities of raspberry fruits stored for 8 days were
varied among treatments and storage durations as shown in Fig. 3.
SOD activities reduced with storage time. SOD activity of raspberry
fruits remained steady during the first 3 days of storage and then
decreased during the rest of storage. The entire raspberry fruits
treated with Aloe vera gel had higher SOD enzyme activities than
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Fig. 5. Oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and reduced glutathione (GSH) content in raspberry fruits treated with Aloe gel and stored for 8 days at 4 C. Gel 1: 0% Aloe vera
(control); gel 2: 25% Aloe vera; gel 3: 50% Aloe vera; gel 4: 75% Aloe vera. Vertical bars
represent standard error.
After 8 days of storage, 50% Aloe vera gel had the highest GSSG and
GSH activities on raspberry fruits (Fig. 5). The important function of
GSH enzyme is the maintenance of cellular redox status
(Rennenberg, 1980). The primary oxidation product of GSH is its
disulfide, GSSG, which can be reduced back to GSH by glutathione
reductase at the expense of NADPH (Ric de Vos, Kraak, & Bino,
1994). The result showed that 50% Aloe vera gel enhanced the increase of GSH enzyme in raspberry fruits during storage. This
reduced form of glutathione serves as a substrate for DHAR and
reacts directly with free radicals, including hydroxyl, to prevent the
deactivation of enzymes by oxidation of the essential thiol group
(Ziegler, 1985).
4. Conclusions
In general, this study showed that raspberry fruits treated with
Aloe vera gel had higher antioxidant capacity, enzyme activity and
less decay than control fruit. These results suggest that Aloe vera gel
treatments may be a useful non-chemical way of maintaining
raspberry fruit quality and extending their postharvest life. Further
investigation is needed to elucidate the underlying relationship
between Aloe vera gel treatment and antioxidant capacity in raspberry fruits.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Debbie Bright for critical reading of the
manuscript.
References
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effects of different plant extracts and their major components of selected Aloe
species. Phytotherapy Research, 13, 401e407.
Amako, K., Chen, G. X., & Asada, K. (1994). Separate assay specific for ascorbate
peroxidase and guaiacol peroxidase and for the chloroplastic and cytosolic
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