Development and Quality Evaluation of a Reduced-Energy Aloe vera Jelly Beverage Containing Fruit Juice

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a reduced-energy Aloe vera jelly beverage containing fruit juice and to evaluate its physicochemical properties, sensory liking, bioactive compounds, nutritional composition, and storage stability. The effects of carrageenan and konjac powder ratios, together with sucrose replacement with sucralose at levels of 0, 50, and 100%, were investigated. Fresh Aloe vera gel exhibited an ABTS•⁺ radical scavenging activity of 46.57 ± 3.62% at a sample concentration of 200 mg/mL and a FRAP value of 23.37 ± 0.81 mg TE/100 g fresh weight. The formulation containing 0.6% (w/w) carrageenan and 0.07% (w/w) konjac powder achieved the highest scores for taste, texture, and overall liking. Replacing 50% of sucrose with sucralose was considered the most appropriate level among those tested, providing overall liking comparable to the control while reducing the energy content from 94.52 to 59.72 kcal/100 g. The selected formulation contained a total phenolic content of 7.18 mg GAE/g sample, a total flavonoid content of 5.88 mg QE/g sample, DPPH radical scavenging activity of 34.81% at a sample concentration of 1000 mg/mL, and an aloin content of 1.25 mg/kg sample. During refrigerated storage at 4 ± 2 °C for 4 weeks, the product maintained relatively stable physicochemical properties, while total microbial counts, yeasts and molds, coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus remained at low levels throughout storage. Overall, the formulation containing 0.6% carrageenan and 0.07% konjac powder with 50% sucrose replacement by sucralose was the most appropriate among those tested, reducing the energy content while maintaining overall liking comparable to the control and relatively stable physicochemical and microbiological quality during 4 weeks of refrigerated storage.