Determination of the Effect of Different Extraction Methods on Aloe barbadensis Miller (Aloe Vera) Extract and its Usability in Ayran

The Aloe barbadensis Miller (Aloe vera) plant has been gaining increasing popularity in recent years, especially in the fields of health and cosmetics. Its use in the food industry has also been on the rise late. There is particularly growing interest in its application as an edible film and coating because of its unique structure and composition. In this study, Aloe vera gel and leaf parts were evaluated separately. As extraction methods, maceration and ultrasonic wave-assisted extraction methods were used, and ethanol, water, and ethanol/water (1:1) mixtures were used as solvents. The effects of different extraction methods and solvents on the extracts were investigated. The total phenolic substance content, DPPH scavenging activity, and total flavonoid substance content of the obtained extracts were calculated. The usability of the obtained Aloe vera gel was then investigated in ayran. Sensory analyses were performed on ayran samples obtained by adding ayran at different rates. The highest amount of phenolic substance in Aloe vera gel was calculated as 508.80 mg GAE /g in the extract obtained using water as the solvent and the ultrasonic wave-assisted extraction method as the method. The highest DPPH scavenging activity 27.06% was detected in Aloe vera gel under the same extraction conditions. When we evaluated the total amount of flavonoids, the highest amount was found to be 163.79 mgQE/g when ethanol/water mixture was used as a solvent in the maceration method. In the extract obtained from Aloe vera leaf, where ethanol:water (1:1) solvent was used as solvent and ultrasonic wave-assisted extraction, the highest amount of phenolic substance was 597.63 mg GAE /g, the highest DPPH activity was 66.38%, and the highest total amount of flavonoid substance was 409.20 mg QE /g. When we evaluated the results generally, the amount of total phenolic substance, DPPH scavenging activity, and total amount of flavonoid substance increased in direct proportion to each other. Compounds with phenolic and flavonoid properties increased with DPPH scavenging activity. Aloe vera gel was added to ayran samples at different rates (%1.25, 2.5 and 5). Samples of ayran added at a rate of 1.25% received scores similar to those of the control group without any addition. Other samples of ayran also received high scores from the panelists. In this study, the extraction conditions of Aloe vera gel and leaf were optimized and their usage possibilities in ayran were evaluated.