Production of a herbal wine from Aloe vera gel and evaluation of its effect against common food borne pathogens and probiotics

In view of the increasing demand of value added herbal products, an attempt was made to produce a functional fermented Aloe vera based herbal wine. The wine was evaluated for effect on probiotics and food borne pathogens. Aloe vera gel, supplemented with sugar proved to be a good medium for the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for making the Aloe vera wine. The wine was found to be similar to any other wine in terms of its composition, and sensory quantities. The wine exhibited bactericidal activity against common food borne pathogens (Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli). However, its bactericidal effect was much faster in case of Salmonella as compared to other pathogens. Interestingly, the wine was not inhibitory to the selected probiotic strains and no significant difference in the viable count of lactobacilli was found in the fecal matter, hence, indicating their persistence in the gut of wine fed animal.