The assessment of the effect of Aloe vera gel coating containing salicylic acid and thyme extract on the shelf life of fresh pistachios during storage

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Aloe vera gel (50 and 100% w / w), salicylic acid (0 and 2 mM) and thyme extract (0, 0.1 and 0.5% v / v) on shelf life of fresh pistachios. Disk diffusion test was done in a completely randomized design and the percentage of Aspergillus development, microbial count, sensory evaluation and color tests were assessed in a factorial based on a completely randomized design. The results showed that the mold growth development (in disk diffusion test) and total counts of mold, yeast and aerobic mesophilic bacteria were lower in the samples containing Aloe vera gel, salicylic acid and thyme extract. Also, the highest score and color parameters in color and sensory evaluation tests were found for the samples with above mentioned coating, which had a significant difference with the control (P <0.05). Control and treatment with Aloe vera gel of 50% concentration (a) were identified as the worst coatings, and Aloe vera gel coating containing thyme extract and salicylic acid at high concentrations (AST) were found to be the best treatment with the ability to improve the shelf life of fresh pistachios.