International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 07 Issue: 04 | Apr 2020 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 © 2020, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 7.529 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 3502 Aloe Vera Gel as a Natural Preservative on the Shelf life of Flavored Pasteurized Milk T. Vithushana 1 , B. P. A. Jayaweera 2 1,2 Department of Livestock and Avian Sciences, Faculty of Livestock, Fisheries and Nutrition, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Gonawila, Sri Lanka. ---------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract - All over the world liquid milk is the largest consumed liquid dairy product due to its palatability, nutritious value and easy availability. The demand for functional foods with prolonged shelf life and without chemical preservatives has increased around the world. Recently, processing of Aloe vera gel converted to a big industry owing to its applications in the food industry. In this scenery, the present study was carried out to check the effect of Aloe vera as a preservative agent on the sensory attributes of flavored pasteurized milk. The natural Aloe Vera is barbadensismillar extract used as the functional ingredient and preservative agent. The product was developed by incorporating 5% of Aloe vera pulp. The organoleptic properties of the product such as appearance, flavor, aroma, texture/ mouth-feel, overall-taste, overall-acceptability and consumer acceptance were observed in every 7 days. Microbial parameters such as aerobic plate count and coliform count and physicochemical parameters such as pH, total solids, total soluble solids, and discoloration were examined every 5 days interval to evaluate the safety and keeping quality of the product. The data obtained were analyzed statistically. Aloe vera incorporated flavored pasteurized milk was accepted by the sensory panelists. All sensorial attributes tested in the formulated product during the storage period scored above 7 in nine-point hedonic scale which revealed that the product was towards the “extremely-like” category. Although the shelf life of pasteurized liquid milk product is 14 days, but here, until the storage period of 21 days there was no significant difference in all analyzed parameters and matched with the Sri Lankan standard for flavored pasteurized milk. So the study led to the conclusion that the Aloe vera has a preservative effect in the pasteurized milk. Key Words: Aloe vera, Consumer, Functional, Preservative 1. INTRODUCTION Milk is the normal secretion of the mammary glands of all mammals, which is commonly used to nourish the young ones of the species (Potter and Hotchkiss, 1995). It supplies essential nutrients and is an important source of dietary energy, high-quality proteins and fats. It is considered as an important part of daily nutrition and especially important food among all age groups because of its unique nutritional properties. As it is a unique substance, it can be consumed as fluid milk with minimal processing. People all over the world are becoming more health conscious and moving towards herbal products (Kumar, 2017) due to the increasing knowledge and awareness about the advantages of herbal components. Nowadays, general public demand to reduce the use of chemical preservatives or additives in food or feed (Brul and Coote, 1999). Instead, consumers require high quality, preservative free, safe, but mildly processed food with extended shelf life. In addition, present legislation restricted the use of some currently accepted preservatives in different foods (Brul and Coote, 1999). The demand for functional foods with prolonged shelf life and without chemical preservatives has been increased around the world. Although a number of artificial preservatives have been used to preserve food freshness, the natural preservatives are believed to be the first to use. Recently, processing of Aloe vera gel converted to a big industry owing to its applications in the food industry. Aloe vera is one of the oldest known medicinal plants gifted by nature which is often called as miracle plant, and known by many names. Over 200 types of Aloe vera varieties are available and of these only 4 or 5 are commonly used in medicine and food (Wijesundara and Adikari, 2017). The most widely used variety of Aloe vera for food and medicine is Aloe verais barbadensismillar (More et al., 2017). Aloe vera incorporation is considered as a dietary supplementation and functional ingredient in many food products including beverages, yoghurt, milk, ice creams, confectionary etc. The inclusion of physiologically active natural components with beneficial effects on health strengthens the nutritional value of milk beverages along with the preservative action. Therefore, the addition of Aloe vera gel makes it possible to produce functional foods from milk by keeping their chemical, physical and sensorial characteristics and fortifying their nutritional value by introducing biologically active components, in a controlled way by allowing fast compositional changes. Moreover, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in the United States has approved the internal use of gel as a “dietary supplement” and also in the European Commission (EC) according to Annex I of Regulation No 1831/2003 (Elbandy, Abed and Gad, 2014). The previous researches proved that Aloe vera worked through combination of mechanisms and it composed of most of the polysaccharides which acts as a natural barrier to moisture and oxygen which speed food deterioration. Also it enhances food safety because it contains antibiotic and