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Aloe-Buni drink combines aloe vera gel, buni fruit extract in tasty, healthy beverage
Recently, there has been a rise in the consumption of antioxidized beverages, which has led to the development of new innovations to meet the demand for beverages containing bioactive compounds.
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R
ecently, there has been a rise in the consumption of antioxidized beverages, which has led to the development of new innovations to meet the demand for beverages containing bioactive compounds. One of these exciting new innovations is Aloe-Buni, a beverage made from aloe vera gel mixed with buni fruit extract, which has medicinal properties.
The creation of this product comes from a research collaboration between the minds at the University of Warmadewa Indonesia, specifically Dr. Ir. Luh Suriati, M.Sc., Dr. Ir. I Gede Pasek Mangku, M.P. and Luh Kade Datrini, S.E., M.Sc, and Central Bicol State University of Agriculture The Philippines, namely Prof. Dr. Hanilyn A. Hidalgo and Dr. Josephine Red.
Aloe-Buni is made up of 50 percent aloe gel and 50 percent buni fruit extract, with a sugar solution used as a sweetener with a concentration of 20 percent. Maltodextrin, gum arabic and Tween 80, are also used in the mixture with a concentration of 20 percent to improve the consistency of the beverage and provide a better mouthfeel. The two main components of the beverage, aloe gel and buni extract, have significant health benefits, with each one supporting different aspects of health.
Aloe gel is a transparent polysaccharide obtained from aloe vera leaves (Aloe barbadensis M), which contains over 200 functional bioactive chemical compounds. Besides having antioxidant properties, aloe gel can also decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL), increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL), regulate blood sugar in diabetics and boost the immune system. However, aloe-gel on its own does not taste very good, it is actually quite bitter, which is why buni extract is added to the mix, helping balance the flavors of the beverage.
Buni extract is siphoned from buni fruit (Antidesma bunius L), it is found and grown in various countries around the world. In the Philippines it is known as bignai, in India it is called berunai, choi moi in Vietnam, kho lien tu in Laos and it is known as moi-kin in Queensland. The fruit is usually eaten raw, or processed as tea, jelly or jam. The extracts and phytoconstituents found from buni fruit have been proven to produce multiple pharmacological responses, this includes, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antiradical, antidysentery, antimicrobial, anticancer and an improvement in blood circulation.
When creating this product, the first step is to extract the aloe gel from aloe vera leaves. To begin the extraction process, the leaves must first be rinsed with water to remove traces of dust, so that the leaves can be stripped of their skin with a precise 2 milimeter thickness from the surface. Doing this gives access to unprocessed aloe gel, which is then scraped out from the leaves to be blanched at 80 degrees Celsius for five minutes, activating the enzymes. Afterward, the gel is shredded in a blender and filtered, this process is repeated several times to obtain a fibrous aloe-gel.
The next step is obtaining the second component of the beverage, the buni extract. This process starts similarly to the aloe gel extraction, by washing the buni fruits thoroughly with water until they are free from dust and microbial contaminants. The first wash takes up 30 minutes, and is observed in detail. Then the large batch of buni fruits are sorted by their various stages of maturity, green buni fruits are immature, the crimson fruits are ripe and the fruits with a purple-black coloration are very ripe. The buni fruits used for this beverage are newly ripe, typically with a fair crimson color. After the sorting process, the selected buni fruits are then blended, with water periodically added to the blender to create a buni fruit slurry. Once the slurry is the right consistency, it is put through a filter, so that buni juice is obtained. To finish the process, the buni juice needs to be heated at 80C for five minutes to eliminate any microbes present within the juice.
The combination of the two, creates the Aloe-Buni functional drink, a healthy beverage with medicinal properties. This product however, does not just come in the form of a liquid juice, Aloe-Buni can also be produced in powder form, making it into an instant drink. Using a combination of anthocyanins, flavonoids and fillers such as maltodextrin, gum arabic and Tween 80, the juice is able to be emulsified and dried into a powder form.
According to lead researcher Dr. Ir. Luh Suriati, MSi, this innovative product is the result of only the second research year of a planned three-year joint research project. Both researchers from The University of Warmadewa Indonesia and Central Bicol State University of Agriculture Philippines hope that the result of this joint research can be translated into commercial products that help provide functional drinks that are beneficial to the public’s health.
