A group of Spanish researchers explored the use of Aloe vera gel as a post-harvest preservative for fruits and vegetables. The results will be published in the Oct. 5 print issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The gel, which may also be used as a spray, does not appear to affect food taste or appearance, and therefore shows promise as a safe, natural and environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional synthetic preservatives that are currently applied to produce after harvesting.

The gel, which was tested in this particular study on grapes, works not only as a physical barrier to spoilage microorganisms, but has been proven to have antimicrobial and antifungal properties.

Read the abstract of the article here.